Al-Hilal decided his confrontation against Al-Shabab with two goals without a response, in the match that brought them together on Friday evening as part of the fifth round of the Saudi Roshun League, so that 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 a full mark after five rounds, while Al-Shabab's tally froze at 3 points, occupying the 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 returned to threaten its opponent's goal in the tenth minute, when Crezencio 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 shot a header from the left side of the penalty area, but Al-Hilal's defense intervened in time and averted the danger.
Al-Hilal continued its 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 in the score, and the first half ended goalless.
At the beginning of the second half, Al-Hilal's pressure continued, and Rúben Neves fired a shot from a distance in the 46th minute that went slightly over the crossbar, before the Portuguese player repeated his attempts four minutes later.
The decisive moment came in the 53rd minute, when Sergej Milinković-Savić managed to shake 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 firing a left-footed shot from a tight angle, but it did not find its way to the goal.
The 67th minute witnessed the participation of Brazilian Gabriel Martinelli for the first time in the Al-Hilal jersey, after the technical staff fielded him instead of Sultan Mandash, in an awaited appearance 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 maintained its cohesion, before the blue team was awarded a penalty kick in the 85th minute.
Rúben Neves took the penalty kick and managed to put the ball into the net, adding the second goal for Al-Hilal and confirming his team's victory of the three points.
With this victory, Al-Hilal continued its ideal start in the Roshun 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.