Magic Mitrovic gives Hilal stunning Classico comeback win over Ittihad

The facts say that Al-Hilal won 4-3 at Al-Ittihad on Friday but there was a great deal more to this seven-goal thriller. With two thirds of the Classico gone, Al-Ittihad were cruising, 3-1 to the good and heading for a fifth win out of five this season but then, incredibly, the defending champions who not conceded a single goal in the first 360 minutes of Roshn Saudi League football, conceded three in the space of ten second half minutes as Aleksandar Mitrovic grabbed a hat-trick, the headlines and three points for the Riyadh giants. It was a stunning comeback and result.

It means that Ittihad coach Nuno Santo has yet to win in five games against the Blues and that Al-Hilal go top for 24 hours at least until Al-Ahli, the only team now with a perfect record, head to Al-Fateh on Saturday. It won’t be as good a game as this.

Ittihad took the lead after 16 minutes with a goal made in 2022. Abderrazak Hamdallah slipped the ball through to Romarinho on the left side the Brazilian found the net to ensure that Yassine Bounou conceded his first since arriving in Saudi Arabia from Sevilla.

Then Marcelo Grohe let in the first of his season as Hilal equalised with an outrageous strike from Mitrovic four minutes later. A cross from the right from the impressive Saud Abdulhamid found the Serbian inside the area but there was still a huge amount to do.

Mitrovic was moving away from goal to the left of the penalty spot and then met the ball with a delightful right-footed volley that flew into the top corner to give  Grohe no chance.

Both teams pushed forward trying to get the all-important next goal and it was delivered by Karim Benzema. The French striker had limped off the pitch during Monday’s 3-0 win at Al-Wehda but had