Glory on the Field: Al Hilal’s Night of Honors and a Golden Night Against Al Sadd
21 October 2025
Match Night Highlights
The Saudi club Al Hilal hosted their Qatari guests Al Sadd in the third group stage of the Elite division of the AFC Champions League, at Kingdom Arena.
Al Hilal, top of West Asia Group with two previous wins over Al Duhail and Nasaf Qarshi, entered aiming to extend the run and seal qualification early, not waiting for late drama.
Just before kickoff, captain Salem Al-Dosari, recently named Asian Player of the Year, was honored on the pitch with a special award from the club.
Al-Dosari later collected the Asian Player of the Year trophy for the second time, a first in 2022.
The captain was absent due to injury, ruling him out of the match and keeping him out of a league win against Al Ettifaq.
Former custodian Abdullah Al-Muayouff attended as a special guest to support his old club.
The home crowd built a historic tifos to mark their 68th anniversary; the banner read 16 October 1957... a golden journey and pride.
It was a crucial clash between two leaders and the last home game before the derby against Al Ittihad in Jeddah on Friday.
Key Moments and Aftermath
News suggest the club plans a special bonus for Cancelo after he apologized for a recent dispute about his local roster.
Coach Simone Inzaghi is said to have decided on Cancelo's registration in the domestic list in January, after the apology.
Cancelo left Riyadh with his family on Friday evening toward an unknown destination as he continues rehab.
He is in the final stage of rehabilitation from a muscle injury suffered against Al Duhail on 19 September in the Elite competition.
Cancelo has started touching the ball again and is set to rejoin trainings.
The team missed Cancelo in the matches vs Al Adalah and Al Akhdood while Nasaf played in the group.
Punchline 1: If the trophy had a passport, it would have stamps from around the world tonight.
Punchline 2: When a coach says January, it means the calendar just got a transfer window for rehab humor.
