Al Hilal beats Al Fateh in the Saudi League and guarantees qualification for the Champions League
The match ended 3-4 after a 2-0 lead, but could have ended in a draw after a goal disallowed for the home side in the 100th minute.
Al Hilal went into the match knowing that Al Ittihad were already league champions, perhaps this affected them mentally, as they did not play their best football in the first half, especially against a great Al Fateh , who took the initiative from the first minute. In the first half, the team managed by Jorge Jesús was already losing 0-2, but it was no more as VAR ended up disallowing a goal by the home team for offside. But after a heart-stopping second half, the visitors ended up coming back from 3-4, and VAR disallowed the score at 4-4 for offside.
With this victory, Al Qadsiya remains five points behind second place, having done their homework yesterday. Remember, there are two matchdays left (not counting this one), or six points at stake , and only three teams can qualify for next year’s Champions League . One of them, the champions, Al Ittihad, is already confirmed .
The home side knew what they were coming for and what was at stake, so they dominated from the first minute. After a great cross from Al Julaydan, Bendebka headed home the visitors in the 15th minute. But it didn’t end there, as less than ten minutes later, in the 24th minute, the same play, but from the other flank, gave Al Fateh a 2-0 lead, with a double from Bendebka.
Al Hilal refused to give up, continuing to try, but to no avail. Mitrovic had a clear chance in the 34th minute , a killer pass that the Serbian incomprehensibly missed. The rebound was picked up by a teammate who fired at the home defense.
In the 44th minute, Al Qaidi came out with everything he had to clear the ball, taking out Mitrovic. The referee didn’t hesitate and awarded a penalty , but VAR told him to go and see it, and after a lengthy review, he finally ruled it out. A very similar play to one the other day in La Liga…
Nine minutes of added time had passed, but the visiting coach didn’t care and made a double substitution, thus exhausting the window. After a period of dominance, Al Fateh came back to score the 3-0, but the linesman called offside, and VAR confirmed it. Finally, the first half ended in the 60th minute!
In the second half, the tables were turned, with the visitors constantly attacking, and this time they were rewarded, as four minutes later, Al Hilal took advantage of a poor ball clearance by the home side to send Mitrovic through to Al Dawsari and reduce the deficit to 2-1.
The blue-clad team were unable to create any chances today, barely making it past midfield. This led to Malcom, Koulibaly, and Salem creating a play in the 61st minute, in which the Brazilian assisted the captain to equalize .
The match was in favor of the team that today wore white, but again a defensive error by Al Hilal in the 81st minute, which Bendebka took advantage of to leave his teammate Batna alone, who crossed it perfectly and Bono could do nothing, 3-2 .
The euphoria in the stadium would come to an end when, less than three minutes later, after a rejected free kick, Salem slipped a perfect ball to Mitrovic to tie the game again. But the madness continued after the Serbian, once again , completed a great counterattack by his team, albeit with the help of a defender, who deflected the ball, making it 3-4 . Football continued to be cruel for the home side, as they tied the game in the 100th minute with an incredible goal from outside the box by Vargas into the top corner, but VAR ruled it out for offside.
With this victory, Al Hilal is just one point away from qualifying for the next Champions League and maintaining its second place. Considering there are six points left to play for and the team behind is five points behind, barring a catastrophe, the second place in the continental competition will go to the team coached by Jorge Jesús.
