Al-Hilal are top again. Two goals against Al-Fateh on Saturday night at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh took them to 30 points from 11 games, in the last match of round 12 of the Roshn Saudi League.
Ollie Watkins needed only 12 minutes. Mohamed Al-Muhzari's cross found the England striker in the box and he finished with his left foot. The lead could have doubled at once, since Al-Muhzari hit the bar moments later from a Ruben Neves pass. Al-Fateh goalkeeper Adrian Semper had already stopped him once, in the fifth minute.
The numbers show how one-sided it was. ESPN's match data has Al-Hilal with 23 shots to 4, close to 68% of possession, and not one Al-Fateh effort on target. Even so, the game stayed at 1-0 until stoppage time, when referee Ivan Barton gave a penalty after a video review and Neves scored it in the first added minute.
That goal came with a cost attached. Neves was booked in the 74th minute, his fourth yellow card of the league season, and Goal reports that it brings a one-match ban. He will miss Saturday's home game with Al-Ettifaq.
The rest of the round helped too. A day earlier Al-Ittihad had drawn 1-1 at Abha and Al-Ahli had lost 6-1 to Al-Shabab, leaving both further back. Al-Hilal now lead Al-Qadsiah, who have played 12, and Al-Nassr, who have played 11, by two points, and they still have a postponed match to come. Al-Fateh stay 16th on 6 points, one ahead of Al-Taawoun and three ahead of Abha.
