Simone Inzaghi guided Al Hilal to a convincing 3-0 victory over traditional rivals Al Ahli in the first Saudi clasico of the new season, providing a striking response to the criticism he faced during his first campaign in charge.
The postponed Roshn Saudi League fixture, from the third round, was played on Tuesday at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh. The result moved Al Hilal to the top of the table with 12 points from four matches, ahead of Al Nassr on goal difference. They are the only two teams to have won all four of their league games.
Al Hilal have scored 15 goals during that run, averaging almost four per match and never scoring fewer than three. However, the victory over Al Ahli carried particular significance for Inzaghi because of his previous struggles against the Jeddah club.
The Italian had faced Al Ahli three times during the previous season without winning in normal time. Those matches ended in 3-3 and 0-0 draws in the Roshn Saudi League, while their King’s Cup semi-final finished 1-1 before Al Hilal progressed on penalties.
Inzaghi came under considerable criticism after each of those meetings, with the strongest backlash following the 3-3 draw. It was his first clasico since taking charge of Al Hilal and was played in September 2025, almost a year before Tuesday’s meeting.
On that occasion, Al Hilal had led 3-0 at half-time but surrendered their advantage after Inzaghi’s side dropped deep and switched to a three-man central defence. Al Ahli scored three times in less than 15 minutes to complete a dramatic comeback.
That match came to represent a wider concern among Al Hilal supporters. They felt Inzaghi repeatedly instructed the team to retreat after taking the lead, regardless of the opponent, and believed the approach had made the side vulnerable even in matches they ultimately won.
Many fans called for a new manager to be appointed for the current season, particularly after the club strengthened its squad with high-profile signings including Netherlands winger Crysencio Summerville, England striker Ollie Watkins and Brazil winger Gabriel Martinelli.
Some of Al Hilal’s former stars also wanted Inzaghi to leave. Sami Al-Jaber and Mohamed Al-Deayea were among those who argued that the coach had weakened the team’s identity by moving away from its traditionally attacking style.
Al Hilal’s board nevertheless rejected those calls and chose to give Inzaghi the opportunity to lead the revamped squad. So far, that decision has delivered an impressive start to the campaign.
The manager also showed he had learned from the previous meeting with Al Ahli. Although his team led 2-0 at half-time and the visitors were reduced to 10 men after Turkish defender Merih Demiral was sent off, Inzaghi did not respond by retreating.
Instead, Al Hilal retained their 4-3-3 shape and continued to apply pressure. Watkins was introduced at the start of the second half and soon justified his selection by scoring the third goal.
Al Ahli created little danger in response. Their main opportunity came through Brazil winger Galeno, while Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou otherwise had a largely quiet evening.
At the other end, Al Hilal continued to threaten Edouard Mendy’s goal and had another effort ruled out. The Al Ahli goalkeeper was also required to make several important saves as the home side maintained its attacking intent.
That is the style Al Hilal supporters want to see throughout the new season, especially with the quality of the club’s new signings giving Inzaghi more attacking options across all competitions.
If the Italian can preserve that approach as the campaign becomes more demanding and the matches begin to arrive in quick succession, he will demonstrate that Al Hilal’s decision to keep faith with him was justified including to the supporters who had previously called for his departure.
