Derby Dynamo: Kanno clinches Riyadh comeback as Hilal topple rivals

Match Context

Mohammed Kanno, Al Hilal’s midfielder, said he feared losing to arch-rivals Al Nassr after they opened the scoring in the Riyadh derby.

Al Hilal turned a 0-1 deficit into a 3-1 victory in the 15th round of the Roshen Saudi Pro League at Kingdom Arena.

In a post-match interview on the Eight channel, Kanno said: "I congratulate the Hilali nation on this win, and better luck to the Nasrawis; the match was tough against a strong team like Al Nassr."

He added: "We overcame the things we feared, especially after they scored first; such things spoil matches and pull you into other calculations; the most important is victory and the three points."

League Position and Celebration

With the victory, the gap to Al Nassr widened to seven points as Hilal moved to 38 points at the top, while Al Nassr stood on 31 in second place.

He continued: "Expanding the lead to seven points has a positive impact on the team, but we do not want it to stay that way; we want to increase it, so we must treat every upcoming match as a final to win the full points."

He wrapped up by explaining his celebration against Al Nassr: "I have a young daughter; she told me I would score and asked me to celebrate in that way, and that is exactly what happened."

Punchline 1: If football had a sniper scope, Kanno just nailed the shot at the exact moment his daughter’s text pinged in.

Punchline 2: In this sport, the sharpest finish isn’t just the goal, it’s a dad taking notes from a tiny coach who happens to bring the trophy to the party.