Aleksandar Mitrovic: I don’t think I ever played a better derby than the Riyadh derby

Al Hilal goal hero Aleksandar Mitrovic said he has never played in a better derby after experiencing his first cross-city Riyadh clash against Al Nassr on Friday night.

The former Partizan Belgrade, Newcastle United and Fulham striker, signed from the latter this summer, scored twice in Hilal’s 3-0 victory against their Saudi Pro League (SPL) title rivals at a sold-out King Fahd International Stadium.

The win extended Hilal’s lead at the top of the table over second-placed Nassr to seven points after 15 rounds, while also maintaining the record 18-time Saudi champions unbeaten run in the competition this season.

Mitrovic, 28, struck twice late on in Riyadh, taking his league tally to 13 goals in 13 matches. As a result, he sits second in the scoring charts only to Nassr captain Cristiano Ronaldo.

Asked afterwards about the experience of his first Riyadh derby, Mitrovic said: “Amazing. Really amazing. I played derbies in many countries, but for sure this is, if not the best, [among] the top, top of the list.

“The pressure before the game, the build-up with fans before the game; really, really amazing, something special. To be honest, I don’t think I ever played a better derby.”

With Hilal 1-0 up courtesy of compatriot Sergej Milinkovic-Savic’s header just after the hour, Mitrovic then rounded off the perfect night for the hosts with a close-range header one minute from time, and then a fine low finish three minutes later.

“It was a very open game,” Mitrovic said. “First half, we were better, we dominated, we had probably three, four clean chances to score goals, but we didn’t.

“We knew that, of course, they have quality, a lot of experience. And we knew that if we want to win the game, we have to keep a clean sheet.

“We