The hot favourites to capture the Saudi Pro League title at the end of the 2023/2024 Season Al-Hilal have achieved the unthinkable when they faced Al-Ettifaq away yesterday. On their way of attaining 14 successful Saudi Pro League wins, the team in blue jerseys edged past the team led by former captain of the Reds Steven Gerrard at Abdullah Al Dabil Stadium, bagging all 3 points for the 19th time in the league this season via the 2-0 victory. The triumph was a relieving one as it gives Al-Hilal daylight between themselves and fellow title challengers Al-Nassr, who are now 7 points behind leaders Al-Hilal in the league table after 21 games played in the current Saudi top-flight football season.
Two First-Half Goals From Milinković-Savić and Salem Aldawsari Delivered a Record 14 Successful Saudi Pro League Wins for Al-Hilal
Both teams went back and forth for this league clash that could potentially give Al-Hilal a record 14 successful Saudi Pro League wins, but there could only be a team that breaks first in match, and it was the visiting Al-Hilal who did it in the 39th minute. A Rúben Neves corner set piece delivery from the right flank found another former European club football player Sergej Milinković-Savić, who gained opportunity to have a free header at the Al-Ettifaq goal, and the 29-year-old managed to beat the goalkeeper Paulo Victor with his solid effort. (Click here to review the headlined Neymar transfer to Al-Hilal from French Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain earlier this season.)
The Milinković-Savić heading goal gave all the momentum to Al-Hilal in their aim of achieving 14 successful Saudi Pro League wins, as Jorge Jesus’s men did not have to wait long to find the back of the net once again. Halfway into the first half stoppage time, three players got themselves involved in an Al-Hilal attack, with Aleksandar Mitrović teeing up Salem Aldawsari at the left flank with a majestic pass. The player who famously scored the winning goal for Saudi Arabia against Argentina in the 2022 FIFA World Cup Group C opener in Qatar then beat a defender, followed by a shot that went past the shot stopper for Al-Hilal’s second goal of the evening.
The 2-0 score line stayed till the final whistle of the match, meaning Al-Hilal have gained their 14 successful Saudi Pro League wins, whereas the losing end of the match Al-Ettifaq had their two-game unbeaten streak in the league halted by the team in red hot form in all competitions.
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Al-Hilal Regained 7-Point Lead at the Summit with Their 14 Successful Saudi Pro League Wins
Al-Hilal’s 2-0 victory over Al-Ettifaq at Abdullah Al Dabil Stadium was a monumental one. In addition to accomplishing their 14 successful Saudi Pro League wins, the team in blue jerseys also extended their winning streak in all competitions to 24 games and regained their 7-point lead at the top of the league table.
With 13 league games remaining in the 2023/2024, Al-Hilal are certainly the team to beat for the elusive league title in the oil-rich Saudi region. If Al-Hilal do go on to win the trophy, it is set to be their 19th crown at the Saudi top-flight football, having been successful in 1976–77, 1978–79, 1984–85, 1985–86, 1987–88, 1989–90, 1995–96, 1997–98, 2001–02, 2004–05, 2007–08, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2019–20, 2020–21 and 2021–22.
Al-Hilal’s 14 successful Saudi Pro League wins and 24 consecutive victories in all competitions strike fear to their contenders in the Saudi top-flight football title race, especially Al-Nassr, who won their Matchday 21 fixture of the Saudi Pro League Season against Al-Shabab at Al-Shabab FC Stadium yesterday. Five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo and Talisca were amongst the goal scorers for Al-Nassr in their 17th league win in 2023/2024, and with the momentum both Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr are in at the moment, it is likely that we are embarking onto a fierce title race in the Saudi Pro League. If you interested to check out the full match details between Al-Shabab and Al-Nassr, check out this article.
Al-Hilal extend their winning streak to 24 matches in all competitions with a comfortable win against Steven Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq 🔥 pic.twitter.com/G4k2uYEv14
— OneFootball (@OneFootball) February 26, 2024
Jorge Jesus on Al-Hilal’s Superior 14 Successful Saudi Pro League Wins
Jorge Jesus was very pleased in Al-Hilal maintaining their streaks of 14 successful Saudi Pro League wins and 24 consecutive triumphs in all tournaments. The 69-year-old Portuguese head coach mentioned: “I was aware of the difficulty of the match, as Al-Ettifaq is one of the top 5 clubs in the league and has high-level players who played with the best teams in the world, but we were the best tactically and technically and we deserved the victory. We congratulate the Al-Hilal fans (On the team achieving their 14 successful Saudi Pro League wins). Our goal is to continue the victories and obtain the title.”
As the losing end that gave Al-Hilal the record of 14 successful Saudi Pro League wins, Gerrard responded with this on Al-Ettifaq’s away defeat. “We had moments when scoring was available to us, but we were unsuccessful. The match was strong, and we were hoping for victory, but this is football. Against high-level teams, we presented a distinguished performance, and today we had two chances in front of goal at the end of the match. If we had scored from them, the result would have been different,” said the ex-player who spent his professional senior career at English Premier League giants Liverpool and Major League Soccer’s LA Galaxy.
After their 14 successful Saudi Pro League wins gained with defeating the Steven Gerrard-managed Al-Ettifaq 2-0, Al-Hilal will return to home to host Al-Ittihad at Kingdom Arena this weekend next. Al-Ittihad, who are spearheaded by strike duo Karim Benzema and Abderrazak Hamdallah, won 2-0 in their previous league matchup versus Al-Wehda yesterday. The high-scoring Abderrazak Hamdallah scored both goals for Al-Ittihad, with the 2022 Ballon d’Or winner and former Real Madrid skipper also involved in one of these tallies.
