RIYADH — Al Hilal's march toward securing the Saudi Professional League title gained momentum with a resounding three-goal triumph over Al Okhdood in the 26th round. This victory enabled the Riyadh-based team to maintain a commanding 12-point lead over their closest rivals and traditional adversaries, Al Nassr, who currently occupy the second position.
With just four matches left in the season, Al Hilal needs only 12 more points to officially clinch the title, assuming Al Nassr wins all their remaining games. Any stumble from Al Nassr could expedite Al Hilal's championship celebration.
Manager Jorge Jesus of Al Hilal made astute player adjustments, inserting striker Saleh Al Shehri in place of the injured Serbian player Mitrovic, who has been sidelined since the previous match against Al Shabab.
Facing a defensive-minded Al Okhdood, Al Hilal encountered minimal resistance and broke through their defense with goals from Saleh Al Shehri in the 16th minute, Malcom in the 66th minute, and Salem Al Dawsri in the 73rd minute.
This defeat left Al Okhdood with 24 points, plummeting them to the 16th position in the league standings and into one of the three direct relegation spots.
In another fixture, Al Nassr unleashed an onslaught of eight goals against their hosts in Abha, with Portuguese sensation Cristiano Ronaldo leading the charge with a hat-trick. Ronaldo's stellar performance not only secured victory for Al Nassr but also propelled him to the top of the league's scoring chart with 29 goals after securing his second consecutive hat-trick.
Al Nassr's dominance was evident from the first half, where they built a commanding five-goal lead courtesy of Ronaldo's strikes in the 11th and 21st minutes, Sadio Mane's goal in the 33rd minute, Ronaldo's hat-trick completion in the 44th minute, and Abdulmajeed Al Sulaiheem's contribution in the 45th minute.
In the second half, despite resting Ronaldo and Mane, Al Nassr continued their scoring spree with goals from Abdulrahman Ghareeb in the 51st minute and Abdulaziz Al Elewa in the 63rd and 87th minutes, securing a comprehensive 8-0 victory.
This defeat leaves Abha in a precarious position in their relegation battle, with the team now occupying the penultimate spot in the league standings with 22 points.
