Koulibaly floored by Boucherit skill as Al-Hilal lose pre-season friendly

Kalidou Koulibaly endured a torrid first match back for Al-Hilal as he was left on the turf by a dazzling Mehdi Boucherit dribble in a 2-0 pre-season defeat against MC Alger in Austria.

The 35-year-old Senegal captain, making his first appearance for the Saudi Pro League side since returning from the 2026 World Cup, was badly exposed after just 10 minutes of the friendly.

Stationed on the left side of Al-Hilal’s defence, Koulibaly was twisted inside out on the right wing by Algerian forward Mehdi Boucherit, who produced a sharp change of direction that sent the defender crashing onto his backside before he rolled backwards on the pitch.

The clip of the incident quickly circulated on social media and drew comparisons, albeit on a far smaller stage, with Lionel Messi’s famous dribble past Jerome Boateng during Barcelona’s Champions League meeting with Bayern Munich on 6 May 2015.

Al-Hilal went on to lose the match 2-0, rounding off what amounted to a bruising quarter of an hour for Koulibaly in his first run-out of pre-season.

World Cup struggles still looming

The uncomfortable evening continues a difficult spell for the former Napoli and Chelsea centre-back, who has 105 caps and two goals for Senegal.

Koulibaly had already attracted heavy criticism for his displays at the 2026 World Cup, where he returned to action after almost two months out with what was described as a strange leg injury.

Restored to Senegal’s starting XI and placed at the heart of the defence, he was deemed responsible for all three goals conceded in the Lions of Teranga’s 3-2 defeat by Norway on 23 June in the second round of group-stage fixtures.

The loss left Senegal under pressure in the tournament and put Koulibaly’s own form firmly under the microscope.

Dropped after Norway defeat

In the aftermath of the Norway match, Koulibaly publicly apologised for his performance, acknowledging his part in the defeat.

However, those apologies did not spare him from the consequences of his display. He was left out of the starting line-up for Senegal’s next game, a high-scoring and ultimately crucial victory over Iraq, and he was again omitted for the round-of-16 tie against Belgium, which Senegal won 3-2.

His removal from the side for what the article describes as a “salutary” heavy win over Iraq and then for the knockout clash with Belgium underlined how far his stock had fallen in the national team over the course of the tournament.

Club future under scrutiny

The latest setback against MC Alger raises further questions about Koulibaly’s immediate prospects at Al-Hilal.

With one year remaining on his contract with the Blue Waves, the defender is under pressure to quickly regain form and fitness in order to avoid sliding down the pecking order at club level, just as he did with Senegal.

Wednesday’s friendly in Austria was intended as a step towards full match sharpness after his summer exertions. Instead, it has added another uncomfortable episode to a challenging year for one of Africa’s most experienced defenders.