Al Hilal secured a valuable 2-1 victory over Al Khaleej in the rescheduled match from the 28th round of the Saudi Professional League.

Gulf took the lead early through Joshua King in the 11th minute, capitalizing on the confusion in Al Hilal's defense inside the penalty area following a corner kick.

Al-Hilal tried to respond quickly, threatening Al-Khaleej's goal with several attempts, the most notable being Nasser Al-Dosari's shot in the twelfth minute, which was brilliantly saved by goalkeeper Anthony Morris.

Al Hilal succeeded in equalizing in the 34th minute when Sergej Savic scored with a powerful header, benefiting from a precise cross sent by Ruben Neves from a set piece.

The exchange of opportunities between the two teams continued, and Al-Khaleej almost regained the lead before the end of the first half, but King's attempts lacked precision in the crucial moments.

In the second half, the goalkeepers shone as Yassine Bounou saved a clear chance for Al-Khaleej, while Maurice continued his brilliance against Al-Hilal's dangerous attempts.

Savic scored a second goal for Al Hilal in the 65th minute, but the referee disallowed it for offside after consulting the video assistant referee (VAR).

Sultan Mandash settled the match with a decisive goal in the 79th minute, after capitalizing on a defensive error inside the penalty area and shooting the ball directly into the net.

In injury time, Karim Benzema scored a third goal for Al-Hilal, but the referee also disallowed it for offside after reviewing the footage.

With this result, Al Hilal raised its tally to 77 points in second place, narrowing the gap with the leading Al Nassr to just two points, intensifying the battle for the league title.

In contrast, Al-Khaleej's tally froze at 37 points in eleventh place, continuing its inconsistent results in the competition.