Al Hilal have won a fourth Saudi Pro League title in five years after thrashing Al Hazm 4-1 and will now return to their quest of securing a trophy treble in what has already been a historic season for the club.
Jorge Jesus's side now lead Riyadh rivals Al Nassr in second by 12 points with just three matches remaining after an Aleksandar Mitrovic double, Ahmed Al Juwaid's own goal and a Sergej Milinkovic-Savic strike swept aside the league's bottom club on Saturday.
It means Al Hilal have sealed a record-extending 19th Saudi Pro League title, having clinched the Saudi Super Cup title in April when they brushed aside last season's title winners Al Ittihad 4-1 at the Mohamed bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
They will now aim to overcome Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr again when they two clubs meet in the Saudi King's Cup final at King Abdullah Sports City stadium in Jeddah.
Hilal remain unbeaten in the SPL having won 29 of their 31 matches, drawing the other two, while they also embarked on a remarkable run of 34 consecutive victories across all competitions – beating the previous world record of 27 matches held by Welsh side The New Saints.
And the club achieved this without the services of superstar signing Neymar, who has missed most of the season after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus in his left knee on international duty with Brazil in October.
The 31-year-old was at the Prince Faisal bin Fahd Sports City stadium in Riyadh to see his team clinch the title, having made only three SPL appearances before picking up his injury.
“I am very happy obviously,” said the attacker, who moved to the kingdom from Paris Saint-Germain last August. “Winning titles is always good. The best thing would have been being on the pitch, but I am so happy for my teammates.
“I am fine. I am feeling good. I am impatient to be back on the pitch. The fans are unbelievable. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to give them the happiness they deserve but you can be sure that next season we are going to have a lot of fun.”
Despite winning the second leg on home turf 2-1, their 4-2 defeat by Hernan Crespo's side over in the UAE led to a 5-4 aggregate loss that meant Hilal's quadruple dreams – and 34-game win streak – were over.
But that surprise defeat should not take away from the club's “spectacular season”, insisted manager Jesus,
“What we have achieved is an example for all the others because if we see all the details then we are the best in goalscoring [95], best in fewest goals conceded [20], no losses in the league, and obviously the most points [89],” said the 69-year-old Portuguese.
“We are the Super Cup winners, in the King’s Cup final, and have won the league. We only failed in the Asian Champions League, in the semi-final, but if we speak about the Saudi level then winning the King’s Cup will mean we have won everything available this season in Saudi Arabia.
“That’s my habit wherever I’ve been – with Flamengo in Brazil I did this, with Benfica in Portugal I did this, and now at Al Hilal this can be achieved.
“We prepared to do this from the beginning of the season – but we have had to do this missing key players; Neymar for most of the time, Mitrovic for some of the time. But I have the notion that the Saudi league will grow better and better every time.”
Al Hilal president Fahd bin Nafel had earlier confirmed that the club have entered into negotiations to extend Jesus' deal to remain at the club, but the experienced manager revealed that no new contract had been agreed yet.
“So far nothing has been decided,” added Jesus. “My agent will come next week to discuss the matter.
“My project at Al Hilal is not over yet. I have many goals if I continue as coach of the team, including competing for the Asian Champions League title and also making a quality participation in next year's Club World Cup.”
Meanwhile, striker Mitrovic has been the club's spearhead since joining from English Premier League side Fulham, with his double against Hazm taking his tally for the season to 26 in 25 games.
But this is unlikely to result in the league's top-scorer crown for the Serbian at the end of the season. On Friday, five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo notched his 33rd goal in a 3-2 win at Al Akhdoud and is now just one behind the league record set by Abderrazak Hamdallah in 2019.
Rivals Hilal and Nassr clash again at King Fahd International Stadium in the SPL on Friday.
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Zayed Sustainability Prize
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
More on animal trafficking
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More on Quran memorisation:
PREMIER LEAGUE RESULTS
Bournemouth 1 Manchester City 2
Watford 0 Brighton and Hove Albion 0
Newcastle United 3 West Ham United 0
Huddersfield Town 0 Southampton 0
Crystal Palace 0 Swansea City 2
Manchester United 2 Leicester City 0
West Bromwich Albion 1 Stoke City 1
Chelsea 2 Everton 0
Tottenham Hotspur 1 Burnley 1
Liverpool 4 Arsenal 0
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Teenage%20Mutant%20Ninja%20Turtles%3A%20Shredder's%20Revenge
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDeveloper%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ETribute%20Games%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dotemu%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EConsoles%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENintendo%20Switch%2C%20PlayStation%204%26amp%3B5%2C%20PC%20and%20Xbox%20One%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
More from Neighbourhood Watch
The five pillars of Islam
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
Zayed Sustainability Prize
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
RESULTS
6.30pm UAE 1000 Guineas Trial Conditions (TB) US$100,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
Winner Final Song, Christophe Soumillon (jockey), Saeed bin Suroor (trainer).
7.05pm Handicap (TB) $135,000 (Turf) 1,000m
Winner Almanaara, Dane O’Neill, Doug Watson.
7.40pm Handicap (TB) $175,000 (D) 1,900m
Winner Grand Argentier, Brett Doyle, Doug Watson.
8.15pm Meydan Challenge Listed Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner Major Partnership, Patrick Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor.
8.50pm Dubai Stakes Group 3 (TB) $200,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner Gladiator King, Mickael Barzalona, Satish Seemar.
9.25pm Dubai Racing Club Classic Listed Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 2,410m
Winner Universal Order, Richard Mullen, David Simcock.
Most F1 world titles
7 — Michael Schumacher (1994, ’95, 2000, ’01 ’02, ’03, ’04)
7 — Lewis Hamilton (2008, ’14,’15, ’17, ’18, ’19, ’20)
5 — Juan Manuel Fangio (1951, ’54, ’55, ’56, ’57)
4 — Alain Prost (1985, ’86, ’89, ’93)
4 — Sebastian Vettel (2010, ’11, ’12, ’13)
Read more about the coronavirus
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The five pillars of Islam
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
