Al Hilal secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Al Fateh in the match held on Saturday evening at the Kingdom Arena, as part of the ninth round of the Saudi Pro League (Roshn Saudi League).

Italian coach Simone Inzaghi started the match with a lineup featuring Yassine Bono in goal, Theo Hernandez, Kalidou Koulibaly, Ali Al-Bulaihi, and Nasser Al-Dawsari in defense, alongside Neves, Savic, Keno, Salem, Núñez, and Malcom.

Al-Fateh surprised the home team with an early penalty in the ninth minute, which Moroccan Murad Batna converted in a Panenka style with a deceptive touch that fooled his compatriot Yassine Bounou, giving Al-Namudhaji a valuable lead at the start of the match.

Al Hilal quickly responded by scoring the equalizer in the 26th minute, after Koulibaly delivered a precise pass that put Darwin Núñez one-on-one with the goalkeeper. The Uruguayan striker then got past the keeper and calmly placed the ball into the net.

Al Hilal's task became more difficult in the second half after Nasser Al-Dosari was sent off in the 79th minute, forcing the team to play the final minutes with one player less, which increased the pressure on both their defensive and offensive lines.

The leader snatched the winning goal in the 88th minute through the Portuguese Ruben Neves from a penalty kick, awarded by the referee after reviewing the video technology, granting his team three valuable points in the competition race.

Al Hilal rose to second place with 23 points, while Al-Fateh's points remained frozen at 5 in sixteenth place, increasing their struggles at the bottom of the standings.