Unlike their fellow club in the Saudi top-flight football Al-Nassr, who lost to UAE Pro League’s Al-Ain after dramatic moments in the normal playing minute, extra time and penalty shootout, Saudi Pro League’s Al-Hilal prevented any forms of upset by another Saudi outfit Al-Ittihad in their own AFC Champions League Quarterfinal second leg game in King Abdullah Sports City. Saudi Pro League’s Al-Hilal picked up where they left off in the first leg at Kingdom Arena a week ago by replicating the same 2-0 result in the returning round, thus sending them to the next round of the competition.
What is worth highlighting is that Saudi Pro League’s Al-Hilal’s 2-0 triumph last night gave them their 28th consecutive victory in all competitions, that is, the new world record for successive wins as a top-flight football club.
Saudi Pro League’s Al-Hilal Overcame Fellow Saudi Side to Reach the AFC Champions League Semifinals
Saudi Pro League’s Al-Hilal of course were victorious against Al-Ittihad in the first leg of the AFC Champions League Quarterfinals thanks to a goal each by Aleksandar Mitrović and Salem Aldawsari, allowing them to have a fair advantage coming into the returning leg of the continental club football tournament at the home territory of the team in black and yellow striped jerseys; What is worth mentioning is that Al-Ittihad had lost French central defensive midfielder N’Golo Kanté due to the marching orders he received in the previous encounter between the two Saudi Pro League outfits last midweek.
The game witnessed a rather quiet first hour in the game, until the deadlock was broken by Yasser Alshahrani from Saudi Pro League’s Al-Hilal moments after the hour mark. The 31-year-old left-back was the player that started the attacking play at the left wing, as he charged towards the Al-Ittihad goal and passed the ball to Aldawsari, who then connected with Sergej Milinković-Savić. The former S.S. Lazio midfielder then returned the ball to the overlapping Alshahrani for him to find the back of the net for the first goal of the second leg as well as a 3-0 lead in the overall tie between Saudi Pro League Al-Hilal and Al-Ittihad.
The AFC Champions League Quarterfinal second leg was done and dusted when Al-Ittihad had their second player sent off in as many games in the competition during the stoppage time of the following 45 minutes, this time high-scoring forward Abderrazak Hamdallah was the one being penalised after he choked Ali Albulayhi during an aerial duel. Playing with a man down, Saudi Pro League’s Al-Hilal quickly made their advantage in terms of the number of players count in the final seconds of the game, with ex-Barcelona attacker Malcom securing a 4-0 aggregate win for Saudi Pro League’s Al-Hilal on top of a shot just inside the penalty box.
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Saudi Pro League’s Al-Hilal Now on an 28-Game Winning Streak
The previous world record in the regard of back-to-back wins as a top-flight football club was achieved by the Welsh Premier League champions The New Saints (TNS) from the 2016/2017 Season at 27, and Saudi Pro League’s Al-Hilal managed to attain the same feat as their Welsh counterparts with a 3-1 triumph over Al-Riyadh in the Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium on Matchday 23 of the 2023/2024 Saudi Pro League Season last weekend.
Having tied the-then world record for successive wins as a top-flight football club, the 2-0 win over Al-Ittihad in the latter’s home ground allowed Saudi Pro League’s Al-Hilal to collect their 28th consecutive victory in all competitions, and that is the new achievement for any top clubs in the history of the football sports.
Meanwhile in the English Premier League: Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal Top the 2023/2024 English Premier League Table for the First Time Since Christmas
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Jesus a Delighted Manager for the Record-Breaking Saudi Pro League’s Al-Hilal
Jorge Jesus, the head coach for Saudi Pro League’s Al-Hilal who will turn 70 years of age this coming July, showed his jubilant mood on leading the Saudi side to set the new world record of 28 wins in all contests in a row. The Portuguese manager and ex-Paris Saint Germain player said: “Everyone at Al Hilal is delighted to achieve world football history by winning 28 consecutive matches. As I have said throughout this period, however, records do not matter as much as trophies. It is up to everyone at Al Hilal to ensure that we close out the season as Saudi League champions and meet our targets in the cup competitions. Only then can we truly celebrate.”
As in the case of Al-Ittihad gaffer Gallardo, the Argentine football coach believed his club was within the same level as the winning side of last night’s AFC Champions League cup tie Al-Hilal, but the difference between both sides was the ability to make full use of their attacking plays and score goals. “In all three matches against Al-Hilal, we were close to their level, but they scored and we did not,” the much younger manager remarked.
Following their world record 28th win in all competitions achieved against Al-Ittihad in the AFC Champions League Quarterfinal second leg, Saudi Pro League’s Al-Hilal will return from the continental club football competition and host Damad FC at Kingdom Arena on Matchday 24 of the Saudi top-flight football in 2023/2024, hoping that they can continue to break the world record that they currently hold. As for the losing end of the Asian club football tournament, Al-Ittihad, who are the fourth-best team in the Saudi Pro League after 23 games, will face Al-Fateh at Prince Abdullah bin Jalawi Stadium in their own league encounter this Saturday.
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🔝سلسلة الانتصـارات الأطول في تاريخ كرة القدم تُكتـب باسم #الهلال.. أرقـام #كبير_آسيا لا حـدود لها 💙 pic.twitter.com/zOt49TudgG
— نادي الهلال السعودي (@Alhilal_FC) March 12, 2024
