RIYADH — Marcos Leonardo scored his first hat-trick for Al Hilal on a record-breaking evening at the Kingdom Arena, as the Roshn Saudi League (RSL) leaders secured a thumping 9-0 victory over bottom club Al Fateh on Thursday. The win sees Jorge Jesus' men equal the biggest margin of victory in RSL history, a record they set 14 months ago with a 9-0 triumph against Al Hazem in the 2023-24 season. The breakthrough came in the 20th minute when Kalidou Koulibaly headed home Salem Al Dawsari's precise corner kick for his second goal of the season. Al Dawsari, instrumental throughout the night, registered three assists in total. Despite Al Fateh's efforts to respond, the hosts, buoyed by a crowd of 24,692 at the newly expanded Kingdom Arena, struck again in the 39th minute. Renan Lodi converted Al Dawsari's pass from a narrow angle to double Al Hilal's lead. In first-half stoppage time, Mourad Batna's handball in the box allowed Leonardo to convert from the penalty spot for Al Hilal's third. Moments later, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic's looping header from a Malcom free-kick made it 4-0 at halftime. Al Hilal continued their dominance in the second half. Nine minutes after the restart, a fluid passing sequence ended with Leonardo scoring from outside the box. Leonardo completed his hat-trick in the 61st minute, heading in a set-piece from Ruben Neves. The goal marked a historic milestone as Al Hilal's 1,000th RSL goal, cementing the 21-year-old's place in the club's history. In the final minutes, Joao Cancelo's pinpoint cross found substitute Abdullah Al Hamdan, who made it 7-0. Al Hamdan then turned provider, setting up Malcom for an eighth after a solo run. The ninth and final blow came courtesy of Al Fateh's Faisal Al Abdulwahid, who inadvertently headed into his own net. To cap off a dismal night for the visitors, Ziyad Al Jari received a straight red card for a reckless foul on Malcom. The emphatic victory secures Al Hilal's position at the top of the RSL table heading into "Legends Week." Meanwhile, Al Fateh's new manager, Jose Gomes, faces an uphill battle as his team sits six points from safety with just six points collected all season.
