Al Hilal Unleashes Five-Goal Nostalgia After 280 Days
18 October 2025
Five-Goal Nostalgia Returns
Al Hilal revived glimmers of past brilliance and earned a big win, opening a chapter in their storied history where they used to flood opponents’ nets with a torrent of goals.
Al Hilal defeated the visiting Al Ettifaq by 5-0 to establish themselves as a true heavyweight, recording the largest official victory of the Inzaghi era.
The win rekindled memories of the five-goal displays that defined the tenure of former coach Jorge Jesus, who left late last season after failing to reach the AFC Champions League final and losing to Al Ahli.
The last clean five-goal performance by Al Hilal occurred 280 days ago, against Al Arabi on January 11, 2025, days after the blue crew bowed to Al Ittihad on penalties in the King Cup quarterfinals.
Five-goal spells continued to pepper Hilal’s season as well: the leader beat Al-Raed 5-3 under interim boss Mohammed Al-Shalhoub on May 7 in the league, keeping the flame of that era alive.
Hilal followed up with a 5-1 triumph over Al Khaleed at the season’s end of February, though today’s clean sheet was backed by Bono’s quiet guest appearance as a benchmark.
In a night to remember, Moroccan Yassine Bono marked a milestone by recording his 100th appearance for the club since joining in 2023 from Sevilla.
The veteran goalkeeper, central to Hilal’s recent trophy haul, extended his clean-sheet run to 38 matches in a span that underscored his value to the squad.
Inzaghi's Philosophy in Focus
If Inzaghi hails from a defensively minded school, the former Inter Milan boss has not managed to keep a clean sheet more than twice this season, both against relatively weaker opponents.
Prior to today’s clash with Al Ettifaq, Hilal had kept clean sheets against Riyadh in Week 1 (2-0) and against Al Adalah (1-0) in the King Cup Round of 32.
Over time Hilal hardened defensively, especially with the partnership of Hassan Tambakti and Kalidou Koulibaly.
The absence ofSalem Al-Dawsari has added a layer of tactical variation, as the captain’s fitness remains a focal point for the manager and medical staff.
The options to cover for him include leveraging Mohammed Al-Qahtani as a direct replacement, deploying Malcolm on the left wing after his return from injury, and rotating Caio Cesar to the right while bringing in other wingers when needed.
Inzaghi may also experiment with Theo Hernandez at left wing, Metabh Harbi at left-back, or even field three at the back to give Theo greater attacking freedom.
Punchline 1: If defense is art, Inzaghi just painted a masterpiece—on the wall, right before the final whistle. Punchline 2: My football knowledge is like Bono’s clean sheets—rare, but impeccably tidy when it happens.
