Inzaghi Breaks 14-Year Derby Curse as Al Hilal Triumphs Over Al Nassr
12 January 2026
Inzaghi ends 14-year drought in the Riyadh derby
Italian coach Simone Inzaghi, guiding Al Hilal, finally ended a 14-year drought for Hilal's coaches in the Riyadh derby against arch-rivals Al Nassr.
Al Hilal defeated Al Nassr 3-1 at Kingdom Arena in Round 15 of the Saudi Pro League, sealing a breakthrough for Inzaghi in his first derby in this rivalry.
According to Opta, Inzaghi became the first manager to guide Hilal to a victory over Al Nassr in a derby in the Saudi Pro League in about 14 years.
The last coach to achieve such a feat was French Antoine Kombarié, who steered Hilal to a 3-1 win on September 3, 2012, in the fifth round of the Saudi League.
Since then, nine managers have taken charge of Hilal and none managed a victory in their first derby in the league.
Even though seven of those coaches suffered defeats in their first derby, only Jorge Jesus and Ramon Diaz managed draws before Inzaghi finally snapped the curse.
Kingdom Arena roared as the drought ended, and Inzaghi added another page to the annals of Riyadh derby history. Punchline: If optimism were headers, Inzaghi would have headed in a hat-trick by now. Punchline 2: The curse just learned a new word—Inzaghi-credible.
