RIYADH — Defending champions Al Hilal celebrated their return to Kingdom Arena with a resounding 3-0 victory over Al Fayha on Friday evening. Last season, Al Fayha was the only team to take points from Al Hilal at home, drawing 1-1 at King Fahd International Stadium. However, with a significantly revamped squad and a new manager at the helm, the outcome was different this time. Marcos Leonardo and Salem Al Dawsari scored before halftime, putting Al Hilal firmly in control, while youngster Mohammed Al Qahtani came off the bench to seal the victory for the league leaders. The hosts took the lead just five minutes into the match when Al Dawsari set up the advancing Renan Lodi on the left. The former Sevilla left-back delivered a perfectly drilled cross to Leonardo, who swept it home from seven yards out for his first goal in the Roshn Saudi League. Leonardo nearly doubled his tally before the half-hour mark, rising highest to meet a cross from Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, only to see his header bounce off the upright. Captain Al Dawsari extended Al Hilal's lead in the 65th minute, heading the ball past goalkeeper Abdulraouf Al Duqayl after Joao Cancelo exchanged a one-two with Milinkovic-Savic before delivering the cross for the Saudi international. The game was put to rest with nine minutes remaining. Al Fayha pushed forward in an attempt to reduce the deficit but left themselves vulnerable to counterattacks. One such break was led by Malcom, who sprinted down the pitch before setting up Mohammed Al Qahtani. The Saudi youngster controlled the ball well and drilled his shot into the bottom corner, making it 3-0. Jorge Jesus' side became the first team this campaign to surpass the 20-goal mark and extended their unbeaten run in the competition to 43 matches, dating back to the 2022-23 season. Meanwhile, Al Fayha remains with just one win from their seven outings this term.
