Derby Domination: Hilal Clinches Jeddah Clasico as Ittihad Struggles to Respond
24 October 2025
Clash Recap
Al Hilal asserted their control in the Jeddah Clasico, clinching a precious 2-0 victory over Al Ittihad at the Enmaa Stadium on Friday night as Round 6 of the Saudi Pro League unfolded.
The opener came in the 40th minute when an own goal by Al Ittihad defender Mohamed Doumbia deflected a cross from Robin Neves into the net.
The lead was doubled by Marcus Leonardo in the 57th minute, finishing a rebound after Neves' shot was saved by the goalkeeper.
Yassine Bounou and Danilo Pereira delivered standout saves to preserve the clean sheet as the team pressed for more.
With this win, Hilal rose to 14 points, moving up to third place, while Al Ittihad remained on 10 points and dropped to seventh, a disappointing night for the home crowd in the stands.
Key Moments and Second-half Action
The first half was cautious, with both sides showing discipline and several near-misses. In the 8th minute a miscue by Doumbia allowed a scoring chance for Al Ittihad as a cross found a close-range header that narrowly missed.
Moments later, a fierce strike from Theo Hernandez from outside the box forced a corner, but no goal.
In the 10th minute Marcus Leonardo struck the post, denying Hilal an early lead, and in the 17th minute Moussa Diaby's free-kick nearly opened the scoring for Al Ittihad.
At the 20th minute Sergej Savic tested the keeper from a direct free kick, but the ball went wide.
The second half saw more intensity. In the 50th minute Al Ittihad pressed again, but Bono denied a powerful shot, and in the 51st minute Leonardo combined with Darwin Nunez to test the defense, with a late clearance from Danilo Pereira. At 56' Nunez delivered a dangerous cross that almost found Leonardo, but Danilo again intervened to keep the score 1-0.
The 57th minute saw Hilal extend their lead as a long-range shot from Robin Neves was spilled by the keeper and Leonardo pounced to finish.
Further chances came for Hilal, including a late attempt from Benzema in the 72nd minute, when a cross from Danilo Pereira found him inside the box but his volley went wide.
In the 80th minute, Nasr Al-Dosri found Sergej Savic inside the box, but his shot narrowly missed the target as Hilal threatened another.
In the 86th minute, Darwin Nunez tucked the ball past the keeper, only to be ruled offside, denying a third for Hilal. In stoppage time, Benzema controlled inside the area and fired toward the left post, but the effort skimmed wide, sealing the 2-0 victory for Hilal.
That win carried the night for Hilal, who defended stoutly and countered with menace, leaving Al Ittihad with a sour taste as the clock ran out.
Punchline time, because even a sniper would applaud the precision: Hilal's defense was so tight, it left the attackers with nothing but air and the sound of the final whistle.
And to keep the mood light: if defense wins games, Hilal just filed a class-action lawsuit against the goal for negligent scoring—the verdict? Clean sheets all day, every day.
