Benzema hat-trick against Al-Kholood brings Al-Hilal closer to Al-Nassr

French star Karim Benzema scored a superb hat-trick to lead Al-Hilal to a dominant 6-0 victory over Al-Kholood in the match held at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh.

The rescheduled fixture from Matchday 29 of the Saudi Pro League allowed Al-Hilal to strengthen their position in second place, continuing to apply pressure on leaders Al-Nassr. The team entered the match with clear intent to settle it early, imposing an attacking rhythm from the opening minutes and quickly translating their dominance into goals.

Moteb Al-Harbi opened the scoring in the 7th minute after an impressive run into the penalty area and a precise finish into the net. Just two minutes later, Benzema doubled the lead, capitalizing on a cross from Brazilian Malcom and a defensive error to slot the ball home.

Al – Za’eem continued to press forward and create dangerous chances, eventually winning a penalty. Benzema’s initial spot-kick was saved by Argentine goalkeeper Juan Pablo Cozzani, but the French striker followed up with a header into the net, scoring his second goal and Al-Hilal’s third in the 31st minute.

Before the end of the first half, Benzema struck again, completing his hat-trick and adding a fourth goal in stoppage time after reacting quickly to a cross inside the box, giving his team a comfortable lead at the break.

In the second half, Al-Hilal did not ease off and maintained their dominance. Salem Al-Dawsari added the fifth goal in the 55th minute following a well-worked move that ended with a composed finish. The pressure continued until the 76th minute, when Benzema intercepted a defensive mistake and set up Brazilian substitute Marcos Leonardo, who finished easily to complete the scoring and underline his side’s superiority.

With this victory, Al-Hilal raised their tally to 68 points in second place, temporarily reducing the gap to the leaders to just two points, pending Al-Nassr’s match against Al-Okhdood. Meanwhile, Al-Kholood remain 14th with 26 points, increasing the difficulty of their battle for survival.

In another match, Al-Ahli were held to a 1-1 draw away to Al-Fayha, with England’s Ivan Toney opening the scoring in the 36th minute before Spaniard Jason Remeseiro equalised in the second half.

As a result, Al-Ahli moved to 66 points in third place, while Al-Fayha reached 34 points in ninth.

Elsewhere, NEOM secured an exciting 4-3 win over Al-Ittihad, with goals from Algerian Saïd Benrahma, Uruguayan Luciano Rodríguez, Muhannad Al-Saad, and substitute Alaa Haji in stoppage time. Al-Ittihad’s goals came through Moroccan Youssef En-Nesyri (2) and Algerian Houssem Aouar. NEOM moved up to 39 points in eighth place, while Al-Ittihad remain on 45 points in sixth.