Al-Hilal settled their encounter against Al-Shabab with two goals to nil, in the match that brought them together on Friday evening as part of the fifth round of the Saudi Roshan League, as the blue team continued its distinguished results and maintained its position at the top of the standings.
With this victory, Al-Hilal raised its tally to 15 points in first place, achieving full marks after five rounds, while Al-Shabab's tally froze at 3 points, occupying thirteenth place.
Al-Hilal started the match offensively, and Ollie Watkins almost opened the scoring early in the fifth minute, after he shot a ball from inside the penalty area following a pass from Sultan Mandash, but the Al-Shabab goalkeeper managed to save it.
Al-Hilal threatened their opponent's goal again in the tenth minute, when Crecycio Summerville rose to a cross from Sergej Milinković-Savić, but his header went wide of the post.
Al-Shabab tried to respond in the 18th minute through Yassin Adli, who headed a ball from the left side of the penalty area, but Al-Hilal's defense intervened at the right time and averted the danger.
Al-Hilal continued their attempts, and Muteb Al-Harbi shot a ball with his left foot from outside the penalty area in the 36th minute, but it did not result in a change of score, and the first half ended in a goalless draw.
At the start of the second half, Al-Hilal's pressure continued, and Ruben Neves fired a shot from a distance in the 46th minute that went slightly over the crossbar, before the Portuguese player renewed his attempts four minutes later.
The decisive moment came in the 53rd minute, when Sergej Milinković-Savić managed to hit Al-Shabab's net, giving Al-Hilal the lead and putting the hosts under greater pressure.
Summerville sought to double the score in the 58th minute, after he fired a left-footed shot from a narrow angle, but it did not find its way to the goal.
The 67th minute saw the participation of Brazilian Gabriel Martinelli for the first time in an Al-Hilal shirt, after the technical staff brought him on as a substitute for Sultan Mandash, in an appearance awaited by the team's fans.
Al-Shabab tried to get back into the match and equalize in the final minutes, but Al-Hilal's defense remained solid, before the blue team was awarded a penalty in the 85th minute.
Ruben Neves took the penalty and managed to put the ball in the net, adding the second goal for Al-Hilal and confirming his team's victory to secure the three points.
With this victory, Al-Hilal continued its perfect start in the Roshan League, after raising its tally to 15 points, alone at the top of the competition, while Al-Shabab remained at 3 points in thirteenth place.