Five-star Al Hilal thrash Al Orobah to reclaim top spot | OneFootball

An emphatic second-half display in Sakakah saw Al Hilal run riot in a 5-0 triumph against Al Orobah at Al Jouf University Stadium on Saturday to move back on top of the Roshn Saudi League.

Both sides went into the Matchweek 14 fixture with a raft of injuries blighting their ranks. Al Hilal travelled north without club captain Salem Al Dawsari and 2024-25 RSL top scorer Aleksandar Mitrovic, while the hosts had to do without the services of centre-back Kurt Zouma, midfielder Jean Michael Seri and playmaker Johann Berg Gudmundsson.

Midfield enforcer Karlo Muhar also missed out through suspension and winger Cristian Tello was fit enough to only make the bench.

Al Hilal came racing out of the blocks and their early attacking endeavours were rewarded with a penalty when winger Mohammed Al Qahtani was brought down inside the Al Orobah penalty area. Returning to league action for the first time since October, Ruben Neves stepped up and confidently converted from the spot for the opener inside 16 minutes.

The defending RSL champions thought they had doubled their lead in the 25th minute when Sergej Milinkovic-Savic headed home Renan Lodi’s cross from the left, but the Brazilian full-back had strayed offside in the build-up.

The floodgates opened in the second half and the writing appeared already on the wall when Ali Al Bulayhi, wearing the captain's armband on the night, repaid head coach Jorge Jesus’ faith after he endured a difficult night in Al Hilal’s King’s Cup elimination at the hands of rivals Al Ittihad a few days earlier.

Two minutes into the second half, the centre-back was perfectly positioned to guide Milinkovic-Savic’s cross from the left into the back of the net with a composed header to double his side’s advantage.

Then, midway through the second half, Lodi added his name to the scoresheet. Darting into the opposition box down the left, the former Sevilla man picked up his compatriot Malcom’s threaded pass and rifled into the roof of the net from a narrow angle for 3-0.

Deputising for Mitrovic, youngster Marcos Leonardo got in on the act in the 75th minute. The Brazilian’s first effort from Joao Cancelo’s cross rattled the crossbar, before falling for substitute Moteb Al Harbi, whose rebound was saved by Al Orobah goalkeeper Gaetan Coucke. However, the ball found its way back to Leonardo, who buried it home for the fourth.

There was still time for a fifth Al Hilal goal only minutes later. This time, a full Brazilian attack saw Malcom feed an overhead pass for the onrushing Lodi, who cut back the ball expertly across the hosts' penalty area for Leonardo to confidently hammer home his second of the night.

The result, coupled with Al Ittihad's 1-1 draw at Al Fayha, means Al Hilal pull level with Al Ittihad on 37 points at the summit, but the title-holders usurp their rivals by virtue of a superior goal difference.

A heavy home defeat for Al Orobah, meanwhile, was watched from the stands by new head coach Adnan Hamad. The Iraqi, appointed only on Friday, will have a monumental task in trying to keep the club afloat, with the Al Jouf side sitting one point above the relegation zone.