DAMMAM, May 5, 2026, 22:05 AST
- Al Hilal were level 1-1 with Al Khaleej early in the second half of a Saudi Pro League game they likely need to win.
- A victory would cut Al Nassr’s lead at the top to two points; a draw would leave Al Hilal four back.
- Latvian referee Andris Treimanis is handling the match, with Joshua King and Karim Benzema among the key attacking names around the fixture.
Al Hilal’s Saudi Pro League title chase ran into an early test in Dammam on Tuesday as they were held 1-1 by Al Khaleej just after halftime, after Mohammed Al-Khubrani put the hosts ahead and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic replied for the visitors. LiveScore listed the match at 46 minutes, with Al Hilal holding 66% possession and five shots on target to Al Khaleej’s one.
The result matters because this is Al Hilal’s game in hand. Al Nassr are on 79 points after 31 matches, while the live table had Al Hilal on 75 points from 31 games with the match level; a win would move Simone Inzaghi’s side to 77 and cut the gap to two points.
Al Nassr gave the race fresh life on Sunday when they lost 3-1 at Al Qadsiah, ending a 16-match league winning run. The Saudi Pro League’s own report said Jorge Jesus’ leaders remained five points clear before Al Hilal’s game in hand, with Al Nassr still due to face Al Hilal in a derby later in the run-in.
Al Khaleej made the first move after 11 minutes through Al-Khubrani. Milinkovic-Savic levelled in the 34th minute from a Ruben Neves assist, before Mansour Hamzi was booked shortly before halftime.
The refereeing assignment also drew attention before kickoff. Yalla Shoot said the Saudi referees committee had appointed Latvian official Andris Treimanis as referee, with Aleksei Spasennikovs and Mohammed Al-Huwaish as assistants, Kristaps Ratnieks on VAR and Vitalijs Silins as assistant VAR.
The match kicked off at 18:00 GMT, or 9 p.m. local time, at Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium. GOAL listed U.S. coverage on Fubo, FS2 and FOX Deportes, and said the fixture carried weight “at both ends of the table” as Al Hilal chase the title and Al Khaleej try to secure a stronger mid-table finish. Goal
Al Hilal started with Yassine Bounou, Ali Lajami, Yusuf Akcicek, Theo Hernandez, Ruben Neves, Mohamed Kanno, Nasser Al-Dawsari, Sultan Mandash, Malcom, Milinkovic-Savic and Marcos Leonardo. Al Khaleej’s XI included Anthony Moris, Al-Khubrani, Pedro Rebocho, Dimitrios Kourbelis, Konstantinos Fortounis, Paolo Fernandes and Joshua King.
The attacking subplot was not minor. Fox Sports listed King as Al Khaleej’s leading scorer with 18 goals and Benzema as Al Hilal’s leading scorer with 17, though Benzema began among the substitutes according to the live lineups.
King came in with form behind him. Betfred analyst Nick Ware wrote that the Norwegian had scored 18 goals in 25 Saudi Pro League appearances and had hit back-to-back braces in wins over Al Najma and Damac, while also scoring in the reverse fixture against Al Hilal in December.
Al Hilal’s camp had framed the week as a matter of staying close enough to strike. “Every game is difficult,” Malcom said after Al Hilal’s 3-0 win at Al Hazem, adding: “We’re continuing to believe that we can get there.” Saudi Professional League Association
The risk is blunt for Al Hilal. A draw would keep them unbeaten but leave Al Nassr with a four-point cushion, while a defeat would waste the game in hand and push the pressure onto the derby. Al Khaleej, already showing they can hurt the league’s bigger clubs at home, have little reason to sit quietly.
