RIYADH: Saturday night saw Al-Hilal beat Al-Fateh 2-1 at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, reducing Al-Ittihad’s lead at the top of the Saudi Pro League to just one point.
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Al-Hilal’s city rivals could widen the gap again to four points, however, when they host Al-Khaleej Club on Sunday in the final match of the SPL’s ninth round.
Al-Fateh took a shock lead after just nine minutes, thanks to Moroccan forward Mourad Batra. Al-Hilal restored parity on 26 minutes when Kalidou Koulibaly’s defense-splitting pass allowed Darwin Nunez to round visiting goalkeeper Fernando Pacheco and slot into an empty net.
Nasser Al-Dawsari’s straight red card on 79 minutes threatened to derail Al-Hilal’s efforts to keep the pressure on at the top of the table, but a Reuben Neves penalty nine minutes later ensured the three points stayed in Riyadh.
