Al Hilal 4-2 Al Faisaly: Match Report, Goals, Stats and Ratings
Saudi Pro League Matchday 1 · Friday 14 August 2026 · Kingdom Arena · referee J. Gil Manzano · full time
Full time: Al Hilal 4-2 Al Faisaly
Al Hilal won 4-2 at home to Al Faisaly in Saudi Pro League Matchday 1 on Friday 14 August 2026. The goals: Karim Benzema 19', Malcom Filipe Silva de Oliveira 26', Rúben Neves 28', Alexandre Mendy 59', Théo Bongonda 64', Rúben Neves 82'.
How Al Hilal won it
Al Hilal struck first through Karim Benzema from the penalty spot in the 19th minute. Malcom Filipe Silva de Oliveira made it 2-0 to Al Hilal in the 26th minute. Rúben Neves from the penalty spot made it 3-0 to Al Hilal in the 28th minute. Alexandre Mendy made it 3-1 to Al Faisaly in the 59th minute, set up by Jaime Seoane. Théo Bongonda made it 3-2 to Al Faisaly in the 64th minute, set up by Christian Bassogog. Rúben Neves from the penalty spot made it 4-2 to Al Hilal in the 82nd minute.
It was 3-0 at half-time.
Rúben Neves scored twice.
The referee, J. Gil Manzano, showed 1 yellow card: 0 to Al Hilal and 1 to Al Faisaly.
Al Hilal: S. Inzaghi, 4-1-4-1 · Al Faisaly: G. Solinas, 4-3-3.
Moneyball's prediction against the result
Moneyball did not publish a pre-match estimate for this match, so there is nothing to mark it against.
Why it went this way
On the day the expected goals were 1.33 for Al Hilal and 4.25 for Al Faisaly.
Al Hilal scored about 2.7 more than their chances were worth: clinical finishing, or a goalkeeper having a bad day.
Al Faisaly left about 2.2 goals' worth of chances on the pitch.
Al Faisaly created the better chances, 4.25 xG to 1.33, and still lost. On chances alone, the result could easily have gone the other way.
Al Hilal had 5 shots on target, Al Faisaly 5.
Al Hilal had 50% of the ball and turned it into the win.
Where the two sides stood before this match
Al Hilal came into it with 10 Saudi Pro League matches played, scoring 3.0 and conceding 0.9 a match, with 3.10 expected goals for and 1.02 against, and had won 90% of their matches.
Al Faisaly came into it with 10 Saudi Pro League matches played, scoring 1.1 and conceding 2.0 a match, with 1.07 expected goals for and 1.75 against, and had won 10% of their matches.
Al Hilal vs Al Faisaly: the match in numbers
| Al Hilal | Match statistics | Al Faisaly |
|---|---|---|
| 50% | Ball possession | 50% |
| 1.33 | Expected goals (xG) | 4.25 |
| 16 | Total shots | 8 |
| 5 | Shots on target | 5 |
| 9 | Big chances | 4 |
| 375 | Total passes | 378 |
| 82% | Pass accuracy | 85% |
| 7 | Corners | 1 |
| 18 | Fouls | 15 |
| 0 | Offsides | 1 |
| 15 | Tackles | 16 |
| 3 | Saves | 1 |
| 0 | Yellow cards | 1 |
Team statistics from Sportmonks.
Player ratings and man of the match
Man of the match: Rúben Neves (Al Hilal), rated 8.5 by Sportmonks, with 2 goals.
Al Hilal
- Rúben Neves 8.5 2 goals
- Crysencio Summerville 7.5
- Karim Benzema 7.2 1 goal
- Sergej Milinkovic-Savic 7.0
- Malcom Filipe Silva de Oliveira 7.0 1 goal
Al Faisaly
- Christian Bassogog 7.3 1 assist
- Jaime Seoane 7.1 1 assist
- Alexandre Mendy 6.9 1 goal
- Théo Bongonda 6.9 1 goal
- Andrei Girotto 6.7
The lowest-rated starter was Khalid Al-Harbi at 5.9. Ratings run from 0 to 10; around 7.0 is a solid match.
What comes next
- Al Hilal: Al Hilal vs Al Fateh Saturday 31 October 2026 · Saudi Pro League
- Al Faisaly: Abha vs Al Faisaly Tuesday 27 October 2026 · Saudi Pro League
Each preview has Moneyball's estimate for the next match, published before kick-off and marked against the result afterwards, as this one is.
Questions about Al Hilal vs Al Faisaly
What was the score in Al Hilal vs Al Faisaly?
Al Hilal 4-2 Al Faisaly (half-time 3-0), Saudi Pro League, Friday 14 August 2026.
Who scored in Al Hilal vs Al Faisaly?
Karim Benzema 19', Malcom Filipe Silva de Oliveira 26', Rúben Neves 28', Alexandre Mendy 59', Théo Bongonda 64', Rúben Neves 82'.
Did Moneyball predict Al Hilal vs Al Faisaly correctly?
Moneyball did not publish a pre-match estimate for this match, so there is nothing to mark it against.
Who was man of the match in Al Hilal vs Al Faisaly?
Rúben Neves, rated 8.5 by Sportmonks.
Who refereed Al Hilal vs Al Faisaly?
J. Gil Manzano.
Every match, before and after
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