RIYADH — Serbian midfielder Sergej Milinković-Savić guided Al-Hilal to a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Al-Shabab, scoring twice to earn the capital giants three crucial points in Round 12 of the Saudi Pro League. The win keeps Al-Hilal firmly in pursuit of league leaders Al-Ittihad, who moved to the top last week following Al-Hilal's surprising loss to Al-Khaleej. Al-Hilal now sits with 31 points, just two behind the table-toppers. Al-Shabab struck first through Moroccan star Abderrazak Hamdallah in the 6th minute, capitalizing on a perfect assist from Daniel Podence to slot the ball past fellow Moroccan Yassine Bounou. However, Al-Hilal quickly responded, leveling the score in the 14th minute with a perfectly executed header from Savić off a pinpoint cross by Portuguese star João Cancelo. Hamdallah appeared to have restored Al-Shabab's lead in the 35th minute, but his goal was ruled out for offside. Al-Hilal faced further adversity just before halftime when defender Kalidou Koulibaly was shown a straight red card in the 44th minute, leaving the visitors a man down. The game regained balance early in the second half as Al-Shabab's Nader Al-Sharari received a red card in the 58th minute, reducing both teams to ten players. Milinković-Savić then delivered the match-winning moment in the 62nd minute, curling a beautifully struck free kick past goalkeeper Abdullah Al-Mayoof to secure the victory for Al-Hilal. The defeat marked Al-Shabab's second consecutive game without a win, leaving them stuck at 22 points and dropping to fifth place in the league standings.
