FOOTBALL – AL Hilal’s Theo Hernandez scored deep into first-half stoppage time as his side rallied to beat Al Kholood 2-1 in the Saudi King’s Cup final last night, earning coach Simone Inzaghi his first trophy with the club.
Al Khulood surprised their opponents with an early goal in the third minute when Ramiro Enrique took advantage of a pass behind the defence, breaking away towards the goal and confidently placing the ball into the net.
Al Hilal quickly responded with successive attempts, as Salem Al Dawsari sent a dangerous cross in the tenth minute, but Al Khulood’s defence intervened at the right time and cleared it before it reached Karim Benzema.
The pressure from Al Hilal continued, with Theo Hernandez creating a new opportunity in the 13th minute with a precise cross, which Mohamed Keno met with a header, but it did not pose a real threat to the opponent’s goal.
Benzema almost equalised in the 15th minute with a powerful shot from outside the area, but the Khulood goalkeeper saved it brilliantly, maintaining his team’s lead.
Before the end of the first half, Nasser Al Dawsari managed to bring Al Hilal back into the game with an equalising goal in the 42nd minute, following a powerful shot inside the penalty area.
Al Hilal did not stop there, as Theo Hernandez succeeded in scoring the second goal in the 45th minute with a powerful ground shot from outside the area that found the back of the net.
Inzaghi’s side now return their focus to the Saudi Pro League, where they sit five points behind leaders Al Nassr ahead of a meeting between the sides on Tuesday, with Al Hilal holding a game in hand.