Al Hilal vs Al Faisaly

Al Hilal made a statement on Saudi Pro League matchday one, cruising to a 3-0 halftime lead over Al-Faisaly at Kingdom Arena before having to survive a nervy second-half fightback to close it out 4-2. The opening 45 minutes were about as one-sided as it gets, with the champions putting the game out of reach before the break.

Karim Benzema opened the scoring from the spot in the 19th minute, Malcom doubled the lead in the 26th, and Ruben Neves converted another penalty in the 28th to make it 3-0. Al-Faisaly refused to fold, hitting back through Alexandre Mendy in the 59th and Theo Bongonda in the 64th to suddenly make it a one-goal game, with Abdullah Al-Mogren picking up a yellow card soon after. Neves settled things for good with a second penalty in the 82nd minute. A statement result for Al Hilal to start the campaign, while Al-Faisaly can take heart from their second-half response despite the defeat.