Al-Riyadh 1-1 Al-Hilal: Pro League leaders see winning streak snapped

Al-Hilal failed to win for only the third time in the Saudi Pro League this season as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Al-Riyadh.

Simone Inzaghi’s team went into Sunday’s contest on the back of a 13-game winning run in the league, which stretched back to September.

The Pro League leaders looked set to continue that streak when Marcos Leonardo swept home in the 26th minute, with his goal given after a VAR check confirmed he had stayed onside.

Yet Ibrahim Bayesh bundled in after latching onto a 58th-minute corner from Toze.

That was Al-Riyadh’s final shot of the game, but despite having to go through 10 minutes of stoppage time down to 10 men after Marzouq Tambakti received a second yellow card, the hosts held on, and the closest Al-Hilal came to a winner was when Salem Al Dawsari struck the woodwork.

Al-Hilal did have the ball in the net, but the goal was rightly ruled out for offside as their remarkable winning run came to a halt against a team battling against relegation.

FT. pic.twitter.com/pFaGtEjwPt

— AlHilal Saudi Club (@Alhilal_EN) January 25, 2026

Data Debrief: Smash and grab

This will be a point that very much feels like three for 16th-place Al-Riyadh, who had just four attempts, but they managed to find an equaliser in scrappy fashion and then held out against a wave of pressure.

Al-Hilal had 13 attempts, but their 1.67 expected goals show they were not high-quality opportunities, with an average of 0.12 xG per shot.

Indeed, 0.79 xG came from when Leonardo tucked into an empty net with his only shot, while Darwin Nunez managed to get just one of his three attempts on target on a frustrating day for Inzaghi.