Al-Ittihad secured a 1-1 draw in the 93rd minute at Al-Fayha but still lost ground in the Saudi Pro League title race after Al-Hilal trounced Al-Orobah 5-0.
Laurent Blanc’s Al-Ittihad entered Saturday’s slate of games with a two-point lead at the summit, only to be overtaken when Al-Hilal eased to victory in the early kick-off.
The reigning champions were untroubled after Ruben Neves – returning to the lineup following a long injury lay-off – scored a 16th-minute penalty that gave them the lead, though they had to wait until the second half to make the points safe.
Captain Ali Al Bulayhi doubled their advantage three minutes after the interval, with Renan Lodi adding a third before Marcos Leonardo’s late brace added some gloss to the scoreline.
That result put Jorge Jesus’ men one point clear at the top, and they ended the day in the ascendency due to goal difference after Al-Ittihad could only manage a draw.
It could have been even worse for Al-Ittihad, who went behind to Fashon Sakala’s 91st-minute strike after failing to convert two penalties.
Karim Benzema had a 57th-minute spot-kick repelled by Orlando Mosquera, who also stood firm to deny Houssem Aouar from 12 yards with two minutes of the 90 remaining.
But Al-Fayha’s hopes of a dream win were dashed three minutes into second-half stoppage time, as Fawaz Al Soqoor fizzed a shot into the bottom-left corner to spare Al-Ittihad what would have been a second loss of the campaign.
Al Hilal are back at the , while things get even tighter at the bottom of the #RoshnSaudiLeague pic.twitter.com/jIaDWPWNJR
— Roshn Saudi League (@SPL_EN) January 11, 2025
