ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates: Al-Hilal beat Al-Ittihad 4-1 in the final of the Saudi Super Cup on Thursday to stay on course for an unprecedented quadruple.
The trophy, lifted in Abu Dhabi’s Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium, is the first of the season for the Riyadh giant but is unlikely to be the last as the team is also 12 points clear of Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr at the top of the Saudi Pro League with just seven games remaining.
Al-Hilal, also in the semifinal of the Asian Champions League and the Saudi King’s Cup, has also expanded its world record winning streak for top-tier teams to 34 consecutive games in all competitions.
Three days after defeating Al-Nassr in the semifinal, during which Ronaldo was sent off for elbowing Ali Al-Bulaihi, two goals from Brazilian winger Malcom did the damage for Al-Hilal. Salem Al-Dawsari and Nasser Al-Dawsari sealed the win with late goals.
“It was a difficult game and I am very happy to score two goals,” Malcom told Saudi television. “We are also happy to collect our first title of the season but we are chasing more trophies.”
Ittihad striker Karim Benzema, signed from Real Madrid last summer, was unable to find the target while colleague Abderrazak Hamdallah made up for missing a penalty by getting on the scoresheet.
The Moroccan forward featured in a controversial incident at the end of the match, however, as he seemed to get involved in an altercation with a fan standing close to the field. The supporter was led away by security personnel.
In 2023, the Super Cup was expanded from a single game between the league champion and King’s Cup winner to include the runners-up from both competitions. It was also moved to Abu Dhabi.
Al-Hilal returns to the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday to take on Al-Ain in the first leg of the Asian Champions League semifinals as it seeks a record fifth continental title.
The club’s potentially record-breaking season comes after it spent about 350 million euros ($380 million) on player transfers after being taken over by the Saudi sovereign wealth operation, the Public Investment Fund which is controlled by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Al-Hilal beats Al-Ittihad 4-1 in final of the Saudi Super Cup
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Al-Hilal beats Al-Ittihad 4-1 in final of the Saudi Super Cup
- “It was a difficult game and I am very happy to score two goals,” Malcom told Saudi television
‘Ready for any challenge’: how Rami El-Hassan embraced being first Palestinian to coach in Saudi top flight
- Former Palestine international had a brief stint as caretaker manager of Buraidah-based side in March before returning to the role of assistant manager
AMSTERDAM: If you have ever wondered what happened to your favorite big name, bigger personality football manager, chances are they are now on the touchlines of the Saudi Pro League.
Fatih Terim, Stefano Pioli, Laurent Blanc, and Jorge Jesus are just some of the famous tacticians currently managing in the Kingdom.
While the big names grab most of the headlines, the league is now producing younger first-time managers from the region who are also making a name for themselves.
Former Palestine international Rami El-Hassan took the reins, albeit briefly, of the Buraidah-based side Al-Raed on March 9, replacing ex-Santos manager Odair Hellmann.
His appointment made history as El-Hassan became the first Palestinian to manage in the Saudi top flight. The 45-year-old’s time with the team spans seven years, six different managers, and a whopping 220 games.
A long-awaited managerial debut finally arrived on March 13, but ended with Al-Raed losing 3-1 to relegation rivals El-Fateh.
In spite of the setback, the former midfielder was positive. “It was a (good) experience and a big step in my career, and I feel ready for any challenge in the future,” El-Hassan told Arab News in an exclusive interview earlier this week.
Resiliency has been a hallmark of El-Hassan’s footballing journey. He was born in the Nahr El Bared refugee camp in Lebanon to a Palestinian family from Saffuriya, and his life has rarely been straightforward.
In spite of hardships off the pitch, El-Hassan has had a knack of being in the right place at the right time. A debut in the Lebanese top-flight in 1996 came at barely 17 years of age with one of Lebanon’s oldest clubs, Tripoli-based Riada Wal Adab.
“My school was playing a match on their training ground and their Egyptian manager was waiting for us to finish. Afterwards he and his staff came up to me, asked some questions, and offered for me to train with them, and even said they would register and sign me.”
Keen to prove himself, El-Hassan wanted to sign right away, but first had to get his father’s approval. Any distraction from the pursuit of education was out of the question, especially since El-Hassan was an exemplary student.
“I said to my father, ‘don’t worry, I can do both well. If you see at any moment I lose focus on my studies you can stop me from playing.’ I think I kept my promise to my father because I completed three years of high school and a four-year bachelor of arts degree from university.”
Two years after his league debut, a path to becoming a fully fledged international opened up when Palestine was admitted into FIFA in 1998.
Fans of vintage Levantine football might remember El-Hassan from his days playing for Salam Zaghrta. His late runs into the box and set-piece proficiency resulted in 12 goals in the 2003/04 season — good enough for third most in the league and a spot in the team of the season.
That form caught the eye of the late Alfred Riedl, who held an exploratory camp for Palestinian players based in Syria and Lebanon, which in turn led to a call-up to the Palestine national team in 2004.
El-Hassan’s time with the national team was brief — two caps, one goal — but eventful as part of a generation who still hold the record for Palestine’s biggest win in World Cup qualification (8-0 vs. Chinese Taipei).
A year after his national team debut, El-Hassan made the difficult choice to end his footballing career early and move to Spain in search of a better future. His passion for football served as the perfect conduit for learning a new language and adapting to a different culture.
“Learning the Spanish language was the first objective in order to make my life easier,” he said.
“When I was going to the language center, I would buy the two most famous sports newspapers, Marca and AS, and I had a small pocket dictionary and I would read the football news.”
Living with his uncle and Spanish-born cousins for his first two years in Madrid further eased his adaptation.
El-Hassan also began coaching neighborhood teams in the Spanish capital while pursuing his UEFA B-license. This led to a brief stint in Jeddah with Al-Ahli under Vitor Pereira before joining Atletico Madrid in 2015.
Having gained a UEFA pro license, a return to the Kingdom beckoned in 2018. The former midfielder’s motives were two-fold.
“I am the oldest son and I had a responsibility to my family back in Lebanon who lost everything after two wars. I also have three daughters, two born in Madrid and one born in the Kingdom, and thought it would be good for them to grow up around the language and culture of their parents.”
There were other offers from the Arab world, but El-Hassan recalls: “It was my destiny; it was written to come to Al-Raed.”
His brief tenure as Al-Raed boss came to an end over the international break with the club bringing in their seventh manager, Kresimir Rezic, in as many years. The Madrileno was back to his role of assistant manager for the team’s narrow 1-0 loss to Al-Qadsia in the semifinal of the King’s Cup.
Reflecting on his time in charge, El-Hassan was full of praise for his players, suggesting they deserved more in their 3-1 defeat. He was also happy to see his former international teammate Ehab Abu Jazar lead Palestine to their first win against Iraq over the international break.
As for his coaching future, El-Hassan is keeping the door open: “I feel I have potential and the capacity to go further.”
Benzema breaks Al-Ahli hearts in Sea Derby special
- For the 60,000 fans at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, there was plenty of excitement
- There was some worrying news for Al-Ittihad fans as goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic picked up an injury
JEDDAH: The honours were shared in a thrilling Sea Derby on Saturday as Al-Ahli drew 2-2 with Al-Ittihad, who twice came back to earn a precious point.
A 95th minute strike from Karim Benzema broke the hearts of home fans and put the leaders five points clear at the top of the Saudi Pro League.
For the 60,000 fans at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, there was plenty of excitement and entertainment in a game that could have gone either way.
There was some worrying news for Al-Ittihad fans after goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic picked up an injury in the thrilling King’s Cup semi-final win over Al-Shabab on Tuesday, but stand-in Mohammed Al-Mahasneh showed his worth early in the first start of the season.
In the eighth minute, he saved from Firas Al-Buraikan’s low shot from inside the area and then got down quickly to deny Ivan Toney from the rebound.
At the other end, Edouard Mendy returned to the fitness and the No.1 position for Al-Ahli, after not playing a competitive game for three weeks. There is no doubt however that his opposite number had more to do in the early exchanges.
But the Tigers started to look dangerous and, just before the break, N’Golo Kante broke into the area, went around the goalkeeper but pulled his shot just wide.
The miss became more painful four minutes after the restart as Al-Ahli took the lead with a simple set piece. Riyad Mahrez swung over a corner kick from the left and Brazilian defender Ibanez climbed high on the edge of the six-yard box to head the Greens into a deserved lead.
It was all looking good for the hosts but then, with 15 minutes remaining, the fans in yellow and black were celebrating. Saleh Al-Shehri dropped deep and his slide-rule pass found Moussa Diaby on the right side of the area and the French winger made no mistake with his first-time shot.
Then, in the 82nd minute, Al-Ahli were back in front. Kante tried to block a cross but succeeded only in finding Toney and the England striker shot home from close range.
That strike looked as if it had won a famous victory for the home team but for the second time in four days, Al-Ittihad hit back deep into added time. Abdulelah Al-Amri found Benzema with an exquisite pass to the back post and the former Real Madrid star was never going to miss.
The goal takes the leaders to 62 points from 26 games, five clear of Al-Hilal. Al-Nassr are third with 54, two and five ahead of Al-Qadsiah and Al-Ahli respectively.
Jack Hendry primed for first Dammam derby with Al-Ettifaq
- The Scotland defender spoke to Arab News about playing under Steven Gerrard and the ‘Eastern Derby’ against Al-Qadsiah
LONDON: Al-Ettifaq center back Jack Hendry knows a fair bit about cross-city rivalries. He played for Dundee against Dundee United, for Club Brugge against Cercle Brugge and, most notably, for Celtic against Rangers in the Old Firm Derby.
On Saturday, Hendry will face a new foe when he lines up in Al-Ettifaq’s defense against high-flying Al-Qadsiah. For the past few years, Al-Ettifaq has been Dammam’s leading club, but this season it has been undeniably usurped by rivals Al-Qadsiah.
Michel’s newly promoted side has enjoyed a stellar season on its return to the Kingdom’s top flight, currently lying third in the Saudi Pro League table and making it to the final of the King’s Cup.
“Hats off to Qadsiah, they’ve had a very good season,” Hendry told Arab News in an exclusive interview. “They’ve had good recruitment, bringing in players that have worked well for them.
“We really want to match that and will continue to work hard to be the main team in Dammam. I think we’re very much capable of doing that. It’s been a disappointing season but we are extremely motivated to be the No. 1 team in the city for our fans, because we know how much it means to them.”
He added: “This is something I am really hungry for. I moved to Al-Ettifaq to accomplish something in football; we don’t want to be finishing mid-table, we want to be winning the King’s Cup, qualifying for Asian competition and challenging at the top of the league.”
Hendry’s winning mentality is ingrained after spells at Celtic in his native Scotland and Club Brugge in Belgium — both clubs expected to consistently challenge for every domestic trophy.
It was this hunger that initially convinced him to move to Al-Ettifaq in summer 2023, excited by the possibility of working under Steven Gerrard. The coach’s own glittering playing career yielded myriad trophies at Liverpool before he also won the Scottish Premiership as Rangers boss in 2021.
“I had lots of opportunities to go to different places across Europe, but Steven really sold the project to me,” Hendry said. “It was an opportunity I thought I couldn’t let go.
“I picked up a lot from Steven and it was a great honor to play for him as he was one of my idols growing up. The winning mentality is something he obviously had as a player and he definitely brought that to his coaching too.”
In January, after 18 months at the helm, Gerrard left Al-Ettifaq and former Saudi Arabia U-23s’ coach Saad Al-Shehri returned for his second stint.
Hendry admits he was sad to see Gerrard go but praised his teammates for their professionalism in quickly adapting to their new coach’s approach — the team are now seventh in the Pro League table with victories including an impressive 3-2 away to Al-Nassr in February.
“To lose a figure, a role model like Steven with all his experience in the game is always disappointing,” Hendry said. “But in football, you get setbacks and things you don’t expect — you have to learn from it rather than dwell on it.
“We’ve now got a new manager who is extremely positive and highly ambitious for the football club. It matches my ambitions as well so I’m delighted he has those high standards and I’m really looking forward to the future.”
Al-Shehri’s arrival has coincided with Hendry’s return to the Al-Ettifaq starting lineup. The Saudi coach clearly sees the 29-year-old as a key figure both on the pitch and in the dressing-room, but it comes after a difficult first half of the season for Hendry.
After playing every minute of every game in the 2023-24 campaign, Hendry found himself initially omitted from the 2024-25 Saudi Pro League squad after suffering an injury. His return came quicker than anticipated, meaning he faced a painful wait for the end of the winter break to return to action.
“I was really happy with how I played last season and I really put my body on the line for the team,” Hendry says. “I played in a couple of games when I had a broken nose and a fractured cheek as well. This is the sort of player I am — I want to put in everything for the team.
“That’s why the first half of this season was so tough. It was a difficult situation but I worked extremely hard to … be fit as soon as possible because I knew the impact I could have on the side. Unfortunately, that then meant I needed to spend longer watching the team as I couldn’t play.
“I want the club to be as successful as possible and feel that when I am on the pitch we have a better chance of keeping the goals out. Thankfully now I’m back in the team and hopefully those circumstances won’t happen again.”
While Hendry has helped bring some solidity back to the Al-Ettifaq defense, the team has been struggling at the other end of the pitch. Al-Shehri’s side goes into the Dammam derby without star striker Moussa Dembele, who in February was ruled out until the end of the year after rupturing his Achilles.
“He is a very talented footballer, a very powerful striker,” Hendry says of Dembele, who was also his teammate at Celtic. “Moussa is going to be a big miss — no team wants to lose their No. 9. But we need to react to that in a positive way, do our best for him and hope he has a good recovery.”
Al-Ettifaq’s attackers will have their work cut out on Saturday against an Al- Qadsiah side that has the Saudi Pro League’s meanest defense this season — they have conceded just 21 goals in 25 games.
Hendry is nonetheless relishing the opportunity to play in his first Dammam derby. While he admits the rivalry might not have the ferocity of the Old Firm or Bruges games, he hopes Al-Ettifaq vs Al-Qadsiah might develop into something just as special.
“Obviously the fans of Celtic and Rangers absolutely live and breathe the Old Firm Derby in Scotland,” Hendry explains. “It means a lot and that creates an unbelievable atmosphere — it would be impossible to experience that kind of a game anywhere else.
“The passion in Scotland and in Belgium were amazing but we are talking about generations upon generations of fans. There is the potential with what’s going on right now in Saudi Arabia that it can reach that level.
“We already have many very loyal supporters at Ettifaq. I know it would mean the world to them to beat Qadsiah and we need to go out there and make them proud of the football club — that’s what we’ll try to do.”
Second ‘Derby Week’ set to have major impact on SPL outcomes
- Al-Hilal host Al-Nassr on Friday, while Al-Ahli welcome Al-Ittihad and Al-Qadsiah clash with Ettifaq the following day
LONDON: The Saudi Pro League returns from the international break with the biggest of possible bangs. It is “Derby Week.” In Riyadh on Friday, Al-Hilal will no doubt warmly welcome their close rivals Al-Nassr, while 24 hours later, the focus of the country’s fans moves west to Jeddah with Al-Ahli hosting Al-Ittihad in what is known as “The Sea Derby.” There is also the small matter of “The Eastern Derby.”
These meetings are big enough in their own right but they will also have a major impact on the title race. As things stand, with 25 out of 34 games played, it is like this: Al-Ittihad are first with 61 points, then comes Al-Hilal with 57, Al-Nassr and Al-Qadsiah have 51 each with Al-Ahli back in fifth with three points fewer.
If Al-Hilal win then they really put the pressure on the leaders. It would not be a surprise given that the last time Nassr won a league clash between the two Riyadh giants was back in 2021. Yet Al-Hilal are on a relatively poor run of just five wins from their last 10 games. That has even led to talk of Jorge Jesus, the coach who delivered the world record-winning streak of 34 games last year, being under pressure. Yet, the Portuguese boss has even been named a contender to take the Brazil job with the South Americans in shock after a 4-1 loss to Argentina last week that led to the firing of Dorival Junior.
Whatever happens with Jesus — and it would be quite something if a coach left an SPL club to take over the most successful national team in the world — there is some good news in the short term. OK, he is without his compatriot and right-back Joao Cancelo, who has impressed since his move from Manchester City but is not quite recovered from a hamstring injury, but others are returning. At the back Yasser Al-Shahrani is ready to come back after a lengthy playoff and Renan Lodi is also available.
Further up the pitch, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic should be fit as should Mohamed Kanno, injured while on recent international duty. And then there is the long-awaited return of Aleksander Mitrovic. The Serbian striker scored 13 goals in 14 league games before his injury and his absence since December has been an issue. Fit and raring to go, he could just make the difference. For sure, Al-Nassr will not be too happy to see him.
Hilal need the win to keep pressure up at the top but the Yellows are in a battle for third and a place in the AFC Champions Elite with Al-Qadsiah and Al-Ahli. A victory for Al-Nassr, after three defeats and three draws since their last league win, would also be meaningful for coach Stefano Pioli as the Italian has yet to show he can produce a title-winning team.
As ever there will be plenty of attention, on and off the pitch, on Cristiano Ronaldo. The league’s top scorer with 19 goals will be keen to add to his haul — and renew his rivalry with Ali Al-Bulaihi if the defender is fit — as well as continue his partnership with Jhon Duran. At the back, Spanish defender Aymeric Laporte looks to have recovered from injury. Al-Nassr have the faintest of title hopes and a win keeps those alive and will do plenty of damage to those of their biggest rival.
Laurent Blanc would love for that to happen even if Al-Ittihad have failed to take advantage of the relative stumbles of Hilal, drawing three of their last four games. The four-point gap could be crucial, however, especially as Hilal are still very much in the running for the Asian Champions League and could face three games in the space of 10 days from the end of April to early May.
Heading into the “Sea Derby,” a 60,000 sellout, coach Blanc is going to be without Mario Mitaj for some time as the Albanian defender is injured, but the Tigers will be on a high after their dramatic 3-2 win over Al-Shabab in the semifinal of the King’s Cup on Tuesday.
Al-Ahli would also love to damage the title chances of their Jeddah rivals but for the Greens, it is also about getting into next season’s Champions League. Riyad Mahrez and Ivan Toney have been in excellent form of late and are capable of winning any match.
And, not to be forgotten, is the Eastern Derby. Al-Qadsiah are enjoying themselves after promotion and a fine season would become even better if they can beat their local rivals Ettifaq and gain some ground in the race for third, and even second. Fourteen wins from 16 league games from October to February had them near the title race before just one win from the last four.
Ettifaq have been on a decent run since the departure of Steven Gerrard in January and have climbed into seventh. It will not be an easy game for Al-Qadsiah but then, this is “Derby Week” after all.
Pereira the last-gasp hero for Al-Ittihad
- He grabs 2 goals in injury time to secure a 3-2 victory over Al-Shabab and clinch a place in the King’s Cup final for the first time in 6 years
Danilo Pereira was the hero, grabbing two goals in injury time, as Al-Ittihad defeated Al-Shabab 3-2 in a thrilling King’s Cup semi-final on Tuesday. They will face either Al-Qadsiah or Al-Raed, who play on Wednesday, in the final next month.
It was a thrilling tie. A penalty converted by Fabinho early in the first half seemed to put Al-Ittihad on course for a place in the final of Saudi Arabia’s premier domestic cup competition for the 19th time, and the chance to lift the trophy for the 10th time. But Al-Shabab had other ideas, scoring twice in the space of three minutes after the break to turn the tie on its head.
There was still time for a dramatic late twist, however, that means the prospect of the league and cup double remains very much alive for the Jeddah giants.
There were only 14 minutes on the clock when the Tigers took the lead. Al-Shabab defender Robert Renan brought down Abdulrahman Al-Oboud in the area, former Liverpool star Fabinho stepped up to take the spot kick and kept his cool to put his team ahead.
The only other highlight of the first half was another of the famous “tifo” visual displays from Al-Ittihad’s fans. It featured an image of star striker Karim Benzema wielding a hammer, inviting him to smash the opposition.
Things did not quite work out that way, however, as Al-Shabab fought back. In the 64th minute, Cristian Guanca picked up possession 30 yards from goal and unleashed a spectacular shot into the top corner. Three minutes later, Yannick Carrasco floated over a cross to the far post and Guanca struck again, this time heading home.
Al-Shabab seemed headed for a famous win and things were still looking good for them when the 90-minute mark ticked by.
But then, as the prospect of a fourth successive semi-final defeat loomed for Al-Ittihad, Pereira intervened. His first goal came in the 92nd minute. Benzema had a big part to play in it, greeting a corner kick with a header directed toward the top corner of the net. The attempt was saved but Pereira was well placed to head home the rebound.
Six minutes later and the comeback was complete. It began with another corner, which this time bounced off a defender in the crowded area but Pereira was there again, waiting to pounce and fire in the winner from close range, breaking Al-Shabab hearts and sending Al-Ittihad into the final for the first time in six years.
