Relentless Rally: Hilal Survives a Fateh Trap in a 2-1 Thriller

Match Recap

Al Hilal battled to a 2-1 victory over Al Fateh in the ninth round of the Roshen Saudi Pro League, keeping their title bid very much alive.

Darwin Núñez and Rubén Neves struck in the 26th and 88th minutes to overturn an early opener by Murad Batna, who had put Fateh ahead in the 9th minute after a VAR-reviewed penalty.

Hilal's win lifts them to 23 points, just one behind leaders Al Nassr, who face Al Khaleej in the same round, while Fateh stay on 5 points in 15th.

Lineups saw Yassine Bounou in goal for Hilal, with Theo Hernández, Kalidou Koulibaly and Ali Al-Bulayhi at the back, while Nasser Al-Dawsari, Mohammed Kano, Ruben Neves and Sergej Savic occupied midfield roles; the attacking trio featured Malcolm Oliveira, Salem Al-Dosri and Darwin Núñez. Fateh lined up behind Fernando Pacheco with a back four including Naif Masoud, George Filipe, Ziad Al-Ghreir and Saeed Baaitiya; midfielders Sufian Ben Debka, Zaido Yusuf and Wesley Delgado supported Abdulaziz Al-Fawaz, Murad Batna and Matias Vargas.

Early in the match, Fateh unsettled the hosts with a sharp start. In the 8th minute Morad Batna carried a ball into the box and was fouled by Rubén Neves, earning a penalty that he converted in the 9th minute to give the visitors the lead.

Hilal equalized in the 26th minute when Núñez finished a clever move after a backline pass from Koulibaly, beating the keeper and finding the net to level the scores.

The rest of the first half saw Hilal press for a second before the break, with Malcolm Oliveira forcing a fingertip save from the Fateh keeper with a powerful effort from a 54th-minute set-piece.

In the 79th minute, Hilal’s Nasser Al-Dawsari was sent off after a VAR review, leaving the hosts with ten men for the final stretch. The visitors pushed to hold but Hilal found a late breakthrough when Neves converted a penalty after a foul on Al-Dosri in the 86th minute, giving the home side a 2-1 lead.

Hilal’s defense held firm until the final seconds, with a late attempt from Theo Hernández hitting the post as the clock bled away. In stoppage time, substitutes came on to help seal the win for the champions.

Turning Points

The opening penalty by Batna set the tone, the quick equalizer from Núñez shifted momentum, and the red card for Al-Dawsari altered the game’s tempo. Neves’ late spot-kick clinched the points and left Fateh ruing what might have been.

Two punchlines to finish on: 1) If football were a sniper, the target would be the net every time—just occasionally the goalkeeper hides behind a post. 2) My fantasy team requested a VAR break, apparently even my lineup needs a review for offside humor.