-myKhel Team

Al-Hilal moved within one point of the Saudi Pro League summit after beating 10-man Al-Najma 4-0 at Kingdom Arena. Karim Benzema scored in each half, while Malcom and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic added further goals, as the hosts controlled the contest from the dismissal onwards.

The match shifted when Nasser Al-Haleel received a red card for a foul on Salem Al Dawsari. That decision left Al-Najma with a player fewer for more than half the game, and Al-Hilal steadily increased pressure against a defence that struggled to hold shape.

With the first half nearing its close, Salem Al Dawsari created the breakthrough from the left flank. Al Dawsari delivered a precise cross, and Benzema attacked the near post two minutes before half-time, meeting the ball with a powerful header that left Victor Braga with little chance.

After the restart, Milinkovic-Savic almost doubled the lead on the hour mark from another Al Dawsari cross, but Braga reacted sharply. The third goal arrived when Theo Hernandez struck the post and Malcom nodded into the vacant net. Hernandez was then denied by Braga again, yet the loose ball fell for Milinkovic-Savic, who slid home. Late on, Milinkovic-Savic drove a low ball across goal, and Benzema glanced in a deft second with nine minutes remaining.

Benzema converted both of Al-Hilal’s efforts on target from the forward, beating a personal expected goals figure of 1.38. Milinkovic-Savic produced a goal and an assist and kept shooting throughout, registering six attempts as sustained pressure finally brought reward.

Al-Najma’s attack barely threatened, despite Al-Haleel’s dismissal being a major talking point. The visitors produced only one attempt, which at least tested the goalkeeper, and finished with an expected goals value of just 0.02 in a one-sided contest.

The performance also drew attention online, with Al-Hilal highlighting Benzema’s double on social media during March 6, 2026.

Al-Hilal’s victory, built on Benzema’s composure and Milinkovic-Savic’s persistence, kept the club firmly in the title race. Al-Najma, restricted to a single shot and undone by Al-Haleel’s red card, left Kingdom Arena still searching for greater attacking threat in the Saudi Pro League.

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