Late drama seals Hilal’s 4-2 victory over Najma in Saudi showdown
7 November 2025
Match Overview
Al Hilal secured a valuable 4-2 victory against Al Najma at King Abdullah Sports City on Friday, in the eighth round of the 2025-2026 Roshen Saudi Pro League.
Al Najma struck early through Lazar in the 3rd minute, before Salem Al-Dossari equalized for Hilal in the 10th minute.
In the second half, Al Najma doubled their lead via an own goal from Robin Neves in the 60th minute, but Hilal answered with three goals from Theo Hernandez, Robin Neves and Salem Al-Dossari in the 71st, 78th and 90th minutes respectively.
With the win, Hilal moved to 20 points and third in the standings, while Al Najma remained bottom with zero points.
Lineups and Key Moments
The Hilal lineup featured goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, a defense of Muteb Al-Harbi, Yusuf Aktechishik, Hassan Tambakti, and Theo Hernandez, a midfield trio of Nasser Al-Dosri, Robin Neves and Sergej Savic, and an attacking trio of Malcolm, Marcus Leonardo, and Salem Al-Dossari.
The match began with an early goal from Lazar, followed by Dossari's equalizer after a move that started with Tambakti. In the 24th minute Muteb Al-Harbi left due to injury, prompting a substitution by coach Inzaghi with Hamad Al-Yami.
The second half saw intense pressure from Hilal. In the 58th minute, Lazar received a red card, and two minutes later Neves scored the own goal to make it 2-2. The turning point came in the 71st minute when Hernandez fired in the lead, followed by Neves' goal in the 78th and Al-Dossari's 90th-minute strike, giving Hilal the lead and then sealing the win.
After the third goal, Inzaghi made changes: Ali Al-Bulayhi came on for Tambakti, Mohammed Kano for Hernandez, and Kaio Cesar for Yusuf Aktechishik.
Al-Dossari completed the scoring in the 90th minute with a superb solo run past the goalkeeper.
Impact on the Table
Hilal's victory moved them to 20 points, placing them third, while Al Najma remained at the bottom without points.
Post-Match Notes
Shouts from the bench echoed through the stadium as substitutes entered to tighten the midfield and finish the game off. The afternoon offered a showcase of patience, persistence, and finishing prowess, with Hilal capitalizing on Najma’s defensive lapses and a late push that proved decisive.
Sniper punchline 1: That defense was so porous, even a snail could score on it—yet Hilal stuck the landing with surgical precision at the end.
Sniper punchline 2: If football were a sniper rifle, Hilal’s late strikes were the headshots—the kind that make the highlight reels sign autographs.
