RIYADH: Marcos Leonardo’s first-half goal secured a narrow 1-0 win for Al-Hilal over Al-Shabab, lifting them to second in the Saudi Pro League table.
Al-Hilal dominated early, with Ruben Neves firing wide in the opening minutes and seeing a free-kick hit the roof of the net, before Leonardo finished a slick team move in the 36th minute to give the visitors the lead.
The second half saw few clear chances, with Moteb Al-Harbi curling a long-range effort over and both sides struggling to break through.
Late drama came when Kalidou Koulibaly was sent off after a VAR review for a studs-up challenge on Marcelo Grohe, leaving Al-Hilal to defend the final 12 minutes with 10 men.
Al-Hilal goalkeeper Yassine Bounou kept a clean sheet with a crucial stoppage-time save from Wesley Hoedt, completing a match in which only five shots on target were recorded.
The win extends Al-Hilal’s unbeaten October run to 10 league games, with clean sheets in their last five.
Elsewhere on Friday, Al-Ettifaq and Al-Hazem played out a 2-2 draw in Dammam, while Al-Akhdoud beat Al-Najma Saudi 2-1.
