· 2 min readIn this Al Qadsiah vs Al Hilal match, I analyse the key tactical moments, individual performances and turning points of the game.
First against second, separated by just one point, although Al Qadsiah had played one more game. Some of the best players in Saudi Arabia were on show, but Al Hilal had a clear advantage in individual quality. Even so, both teams were coming off narrow wins and needed to show more.
The game promised a lot and, despite a few less interesting spells, it ultimately delivered five goals.
Al Hilal started the better side and, in the 10th minute, Theo Hernández combined with Watkins before getting into the box to shoot. Casteels responded with a good save. Shortly afterwards, Martinelli drove forward down the right and set up Watkins, who had space to run into but fired over. It was a chance the striker really should have taken.
In the 20th minute, Martinelli opened the scoring. Watkins received a long ball down the right and laid it back to the Brazilian, who struck the ball with the outside of his foot. A deflection off a defender completely changed its trajectory and wrong-footed Casteels. Al Hilal were ahead after another move that exposed Al Qadsiah down the right, where the difference in individual quality seemed most evident.
Al Qadsiah were struggling to match their opponents’ attacking quality, but found a response in the 31st minute. Quiñones won the ball back in the attacking half and played Al Juwayr through before making a run into the box. The return pass was perfect, as was the Colombian’s header. It was 1-1, in a move that showed that, despite having less individual quality, Al Qadsiah could still exploit the spaces left by Al Hilal.
The equaliser, however, masked an important difference. At half-time, Al Qadsiah had 10 shots, the same as Al Hilal, but their expected goals were 0.53 compared to 2.11. The numbers show that the visitors were creating higher-quality chances. Watkins forced another good save from Casteels in stoppage time after receiving a touch from Milinković-Savić.
There were fewer chances in the second half, but Al Hilal remained the more dangerous side. Watkins tested Casteels again in the 59th minute, while Al Qadsiah were barely able to trouble Bono.
In the 73rd minute, Al Hilal replaced one centre-back with another, a decision that was difficult to understand from a team looking for a win. Why take Tambakti off and bring Lajami on?
In the 77th minute, Rúben Neves received the ball just outside the box and curled a shot into the corner, scoring a superb goal to put Al Hilal back in front. Seven minutes later, Milinković-Savić found space in the box to finish Mandash’s cross and make it 1-3. The Serbian had been directly involved in all three of his team’s goals, underlining his importance.
Retegui pulled one back in the 87th minute with an excellent header at the near post, directing the ball into the far corner. Al Qadsiah began to believe again, but Al Hilal closed down the spaces in stoppage time and prevented them from creating one final clear chance.
Post-match
The 2-3 scoreline was ultimately fair. Al Qadsiah showed they could compete, but created less genuine danger. Al Hilal were superior in terms of chances and had players capable of deciding the game. In an increasingly competitive league, that difference in quality still matters.
