Al-Taawoun 0-2 Al-Hilal: Defending champions keep within touching distance of summit

Al-Hilal moved back to within four points of Saudi Pro League leaders Al-Ittihad as they beat Al-Taawoun 2-0 on their travels via goals from Mohamed Kanno and Marcos Leonardo.

Jorge Jesus’ team fell seven points behind Al-Ittihad when they overcame Al-Riyadh 2-1 on Thursday, with Saleh Al Shehri scoring a penalty 11 minutes into stoppage time.

Despite star striker Aleksandar Mitrovic being an unused substitute after he missed training due to an abnormal heart rhythm earlier this week, Al-Hilal were rarely troubled on Saturday.

Salem Al Dawsari assisted Kanno as the defending champions struck with the first attempt of the game 12 minutes in, though they struggled to carve out clear-cut chances for the remainder of the first half.

But Al-Hilal improved after the break and Leonardo’s 75th-minute strike was the least they deserved after dialling up the pressure, securing their third straight win.

While Al-Hilal are four points off the summit with a better goal difference than Al-Ittihad, Al-Ahli are languishing in fifth after conceding two stoppage-time goals in a 2-1 loss at Al Akhdoud.

A Damion Lowe own goal put Al-Ahli ahead midway through the first half, but Saleh Al Abbas equalised five minutes into second-half stoppage time, then Saviour Godwin struck a dramatic winner in the ninth minute added on.

FULL.TIME

A perfect win in Roshn,
What a game! pic.twitter.com/3qVHRCj0j2

— AlHilal Saudi Club (@Alhilal_EN) March 15, 2025

Data Debrief: Leonardo keeps firing

Al-Hilal’s main title rivals, Al-Ittihad, saw key men Steven Bergwijn and Houssem Aouar limp out of their victory over Al-Riyadh on Thursday.

And Jesus was without his main forward in Mitrovic here, but Leonardo stepped up to continue his excellent form this season.

Only Cristiano Ronaldo (19) has bettered his 17 Saudi Pro League goals this season, with those strikes coming from chances worth 14.67 expected goals (xG).

Leonardo’s shot conversion rate of 25.76% is the best of the six players to have netted at least 15 times in the competition this season.