RIYADH — The Roshn Saudi League’s marquee fixture delivered again on Saturday night as Al Hilal and Al Ittihad battled to a gripping 1-1 draw at Kingdom Arena.As expected in the Saudi Clasico, the drama arrived early.Al Hilal struck inside five minutes through Malcom, who swept home after a slick attacking move that involved former Ittihad captain Karim Benzema.The early breakthrough handed the league leaders immediate momentum.Four minutes later, the match tilted further in Al Hilal’s favor when Hassan Kadesh was shown a straight red card for pulling down Malcom as he raced through on goal.Initially cautioned, the decision was upgraded following a VAR review.Yet, despite playing more than 80 minutes with 10 men, Al Ittihad refused to fold.Eight minutes into the second half, Houssem Aouar rose to head home a precise cross from Muhannad Al Shanqiti, leveling the score and shifting the emotional tide of the contest.From there, the reigning champions showed resilience and discipline, holding firm until the final whistle to secure a valuable point.The result proved costly for Al Hilal. Having led the table since Matchweek 13, they slipped to second after Cristiano Ronaldo inspired Al Nassr to victory against Al Hazem. With 12 rounds remaining, Al Hilal now trail their Riyadh rivals by one point.Al Hilal’s goalkeeper Yassine Bounou said: “It’s a bad result for us, especially after Al Ittihad played with 10 men from 10 minutes. It wasn’t a match we expected. But at least the players did their best. We need to focus now. We have a match on Tuesday — we need to win.”Simone Inzaghi reacted by saying: “It’s normal to be disappointed because we had a good first half. In the second half, we clearly didn’t do as well. They found the equaliser, they were brave.“In the last six games we have four draws and two wins. Now we are second in the table. It’s normal to be disappointed.”Houssem Aouar said: “We’re happy with this result. We came here to win. When you play a Clasico, you want to win it. I’m very proud of the team.“The red card changed the match a lot because we couldn’t play with the same ambition. Tonight we recover and, Inshallah, be ready for the next game.”Sérgio Conceição said: “It was a game between two great teams, very competitive. I have to congratulate my players.“We conceded early and had the sending off, so it was 80 very difficult minutes. They showed great character and great spirit. That was very important in a game like this.”
RIYADH — The Roshn Saudi League’s marquee fixture delivered again on Saturday night as Al Hilal and Al Ittihad battled to a gripping 1-1 draw at Kingdom Arena.As expected in the Saudi Clasico, the drama arrived early.Al Hilal struck inside five minutes through Malcom, who swept home after a slick attacking move that involved former Ittihad captain Karim Benzema.The early breakthrough handed the league leaders immediate momentum.Four minutes later, the match tilted further in Al Hilal’s favor when Hassan Kadesh was shown a straight red card for pulling down Malcom as he raced through on goal.Initially cautioned, the decision was upgraded following a VAR review.Yet, despite playing more than 80 minutes with 10 men, Al Ittihad refused to fold.Eight minutes into the second half, Houssem Aouar rose to head home a precise cross from Muhannad Al Shanqiti, leveling the score and shifting the emotional tide of the contest.From there, the reigning champions showed resilience and discipline, holding firm until the final whistle to secure a valuable point.The result proved costly for Al Hilal. Having led the table since Matchweek 13, they slipped to second after Cristiano Ronaldo inspired Al Nassr to victory against Al Hazem. With 12 rounds remaining, Al Hilal now trail their Riyadh rivals by one point.Al Hilal’s goalkeeper Yassine Bounou said: “It’s a bad result for us, especially after Al Ittihad played with 10 men from 10 minutes. It wasn’t a match we expected. But at least the players did their best. We need to focus now. We have a match on Tuesday — we need to win.”Simone Inzaghi reacted by saying: “It’s normal to be disappointed because we had a good first half. In the second half, we clearly didn’t do as well. They found the equaliser, they were brave.“In the last six games we have four draws and two wins. Now we are second in the table. It’s normal to be disappointed.”Houssem Aouar said: “We’re happy with this result. We came here to win. When you play a Clasico, you want to win it. I’m very proud of the team.“The red card changed the match a lot because we couldn’t play with the same ambition. Tonight we recover and, Inshallah, be ready for the next game.”Sérgio Conceição said: “It was a game between two great teams, very competitive. I have to congratulate my players.“We conceded early and had the sending off, so it was 80 very difficult minutes. They showed great character and great spirit. That was very important in a game like this.”
