Saudi Pro League Leaders Al-Hilal Draw With Al-Ittihad, Lose Top Spot

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Al-Hilal lost control of first place in the Saudi Pro League after drawing 1-1 with Al-Ittihad, despite playing against 10 players for more than 80 minutes at Kingdom Arena and creating far more chances across the match.

The result allowed Al-Nassr to move above Simone Inzaghi's team at the top, as Al-Hilal failed to convert long spells of pressure into victory, even though Opta's supercomputer gave the hosts a dominant probability of success.

The home side started fast and led after five minutes, when Karim Benzema, facing former club Al-Ittihad, played in Salem Al Dawsari, whose low cross found Malcom, and the forward finished first time from close range to open the scoring.

Al-Hilal gained a major advantage four minutes later, as Malcom broke clear again and was brought down by Hassen Kadish, with the defender sent off following a VAR review for a professional foul as the last player back for Al-Ittihad.

With the extra player, Theo Hernandez struck the side-netting and Benzema saw a close-range attempt saved, but Al-Hilal could not add a second goal before half-time, leaving the match finely balanced despite the numerical superiority.

Al-Ittihad responded after the interval and levelled eight minutes into the second half, when Muhannad Al Shanqiti delivered a deep cross from the right and Houssem Aouar rose well to head past the goalkeeper and stun the home crowd.

Al-Hilal pushed again as Sergej Milinkovic-Savic headed into the side-netting and Hernandez was denied from a tight angle late on, yet Al-Ittihad held firm and the hosts were forced to accept a draw that proved costly in the title race.

Al-Hilal Saudi Pro League statistics and Opta data

Opta's supercomputer rated Al-Hilal's winning chances at 63.6% before kick-off, rising to 93% after Kadish's dismissal in the ninth minute, but Al-Nassr benefited instead as Al-Hilal's dominance did not translate into three points.

Al-Hilal produced 21 shots, worth 2.48 expected goals, while Al-Ittihad managed seven attempts with 0.77 expected goals, highlighting how wasteful the hosts were in front of goal despite territorial control and the long-standing one-player advantage.

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The statistical contrast between expected and actual outcomes underlined Al-Hilal's frustration, as the missed opportunity against 10-player Al-Ittihad allowed Al-Nassr's earlier victory over Al-Hazem to change the picture at the top of the Saudi Pro League standings.