RIYADH — Al-Fayha and host team Al-Hilal played to a thrilling 1-1 tie in the second round of the Saudi Professional League. At the same time, Abha was able to steal a crucial 1-0 victory over Al-Raed, paving the way for a fierce league battle.
The encounter between Al-Hilal and Al-Fayha proceeded at the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh with a mixture of skill and tenacity.
Al-Hilal revealed its new players to the crowd before the game, including Brazilian superstar Neymar and Moroccan Yassine Bounou. They are anticipated to participate in the league's upcoming round.
When Michael Richard Delgado scored in the 10th minute, Al-Hilal believed they had taken the lead, but the referee disallowed the goal due to an offside call after a VAR review.
Fashion Sakala, a forward from Zambia, scored the opening goal for Al-Fayha in the fifteenth minute. Gojko Cimirot passed to teammate Sakala inside the penalty area, and Sakala shot to the left of Al-Hilal's goalkeeper, scoring.
But Al-Hilal answered right away. Five minutes later, Abdullah Al-Hamdan equalized the score by converting a shot from Michael that Vladimir Stojkovi, the goalie for Al-Fayha, had earlier deflected.
Robin Neves' long pass into the penalty area in the 71st minute put Al-Hilal in position to win. Al-Fayha defender Hussein Al-Shuwaish attempted to clear the ball, but it hit the crossbar and was out of play.
Al-Hilal earned a point with the draw, extending their total to four, and moved up to fifth place in the standings based on goal differential.
Al-Fayha, who are now in sixth position, also have four points, which creates the potential for a thrilling match as the league moves forward.
