5 things learned from Al-Hilal’s winning start to defense of SPL league title

RIYADH: The 2022-23 Saudi Professional League season kicked off on Thursday night with champions Al-Hilal starting the action with a 2-0 win at newly promoted Al-Khaleej, and Damac winning 1-0 on the road against Al-Feiha. Here are five things learned from the campaign’s appetizer.

1. The champions start clinically

Liverpool found in the recently started English Premier League that an opening away game at the home of a team that has just arrived in the top tier can be a very tricky proposition. The Reds were relieved to come away from Fulham with a point, but Al-Hilal left Al-Khaleej with all three.

This looked to be a real banana skin for the Riyadh giants, but it was negotiated smoothly with two goals inside the first 25 minutes from Odion Ighalo and then Moussa Marega that had the points secured with plenty of time to spare.

It was not a vintage performance from the defending champions, but they took advantage of mistakes to get ahead and then stayed there. It was a case of getting the job done and bagging three points to get the season started.

With temperatures high, Al-Hilal did not have to get out of second gear and while tougher tests will come, securing the points in games such as these is just as important.

2. Ighalo lays down marker

Ighalo finished as the top scorer last season and this writer tipped the Nigerian to do the same this time around. After just 145 seconds of the new campaign, he showed exactly why. A slip in Al-Khaleej’s defense let in Salem Al-Dawsari. His low shot was parried by Douglas Friedrich and there was Ighalo to slot home the rebound into the empty net.

It was not a spectacular strike or an especially memorable one, but it showed why the former Manchester United marksman topped