Inconsistent Al-Hilal drop more points with time running out for title hopes
DAMMAM: Second-place Al-Hilal fell further behind in the Saudi Pro League title race on Friday as they were held to a 1-1 draw at Ettifaq.
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With just three wins from their last nine games, the defending champions are seven points behind league leaders Al-Ittihad with only seven games left to play.
It was a game coach Jorge Jesus will know the Riyadh side should have won, especially after spending much of the second half on the attack.
Ettifaq, driven forward by the in-form Gini Wijnaldum, enjoyed a bright first half and took the lead on the stroke of half-time with a spectacular opener. Joao Costa found the ball far from the Al-Hilal goal and the 20-year-old unleashed a fierce shot that flew into the net.
The visitors emerged from the break full of purpose, with Aleksandar Mitrovic shooting straight at the goalkeeper from the edge of the area.
Just three minutes before the hour mark, they were level. Sergej Milinkovic-Savic set Renan Lodi free down the left and the full-back reached the byline before pulling back a short ball to his Brazilian compatriot, Malcom, who fired high into the roof of the net from close range.
It was suddenly anybody's game but the visitors were undoubtedly in the ascendancy. Just three minutes later, the 19-time champions almost took the lead with the same move, except this time Marcos Leonardo got on the end of it and could not quite wrap his foot around the ball at the near post. Next, a Kaio Cesar shot from the opposite side of the area was well-blocked.
Deep into injury time, Abdullah Al-Hamdan came close with a flying header, only for his attempt to land on the top of the net. Al-Hilal left frustrated, while Ettifaq remain in eighth place.
Earlier, Al-Ahli moved into fourth spot with a 2-0 win at bottom-of-the-table Al-Raed. Franck Kessie scored in the first half from the penalty spot, then Gabri Veiga, returning to action after a lengthy absence through injury, sealed the points midway through the second half.
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