Malcom’s second-half strike secured a 3-2 victory for Al-Hilal over Al-Khaleej, preserving an unbeaten Saudi Pro League start and extending a strong domestic run. The visitors led 3-0 after 57 minutes, yet Al-Khaleej struck twice late on to create tense closing stages without managing to force an equaliser.
The result keeps Al-Hilal just one point behind leaders Al-Nassr and stretches a winning league sequence to seven matches, their best spell since a 10-game run between May and October 2024. This fixture also became Al-Hilal’s 80th successive Saudi Pro League match in which the team scored.
Across the ninety minutes, Simone Inzaghi’s Al-Hilal controlled most of the attacking metrics, producing 2.52 expected goals from 18 attempts. Al-Khaleej
created 1.03 expected goals but exceeded that figure on the scoreboard and, importantly, registered a goal away to Al-Hilal for the first time in the club’s history.
Al-Hilal made a sharp start, threatening inside eight minutes when Mohamed Kanno unleashed a powerful strike from distance that crashed against the frame of the goal. That early warning set the tone before both goalkeepers produced routine saves as the tempo remained high at both ends.
Kanno eventually opened the scoring after 18 minutes, timing a run to meet Hamad Al Yami’s low cut-back before curling a long-range shot into the net. Al-Hilal then doubled the lead on 39 minutes, as Sergej Milinkovic-Savic drove Malcom’s left-sided free-kick past Moris from close range.
The visitors almost added a third before the interval when Theo Hernandez took aim inside the penalty area and, echoing Kanno’s earlier attempt, struck the woodwork rather than the net. Early in the second half, Malcom appeared to finish the contest on 57 minutes with another precise effort from outside the box.
Al-Hilal under late Saudi Pro League pressure
Control slipped from Al-Hilal in the closing stages, beginning with Joshua King’s header that reduced the deficit and lifted Al-Khaleej. Giorgos Masouras then fired a long-range effort beyond Mohammed Al Yami to make it 3-2, yet Al-Hilal resisted intense pressure and denied Al-Khaleej a final chance to claim a point.
Another points in the bag pic.twitter.com/gYm5PlUYNwAlHilal Saudi Club (@Alhilal_EN) December 26, 2025
Al-Hilal therefore maintain close pressure on Al-Nassr at the top of the Saudi Pro League, combining a long scoring streak with consistent wins. Al-Khaleej leave with credit after a strong late charge and historic away goals, but Al-Hilal’s early control and superior overall numbers ensured another important three points.
