Yassine Bounou concedes twice as Al Hilal begin Roshn Saudi League campaign with Al Faisaly win

Al Hilal opened their Roshn Saudi League campaign with a 4-2 victory over Al Faisaly on Friday, but the result also marked an unwanted first for goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.

The Morocco international started the match and conceded two goals, ending a notable run of clean sheets in Al Hilal’s opening league fixtures since he joined the club in the summer of 2023.

Al Hilal’s four goals secured three points and gave the team a positive start to the new campaign. However, the two goals allowed by Bounou represented a rare setback for a goalkeeper who had previously begun each of his first three Roshn Saudi League seasons with an unblemished record.

Bounou had kept a clean sheet in his opening league match during every season since arriving at Al Hilal. In his first campaign, he helped the team beat Al Raed 4-0. The following season began with a 3-0 victory over Al Okhdood, while last term he again kept his goal intact as Al Hilal defeated Al Riyadh 2-0.

The match against Al Faisaly therefore brought that sequence to an end. It was the first time Bounou had conceded twice in an opening Roshn Saudi League fixture for Al Hilal, despite the club completing the night with a convincing two-goal victory.

The result means the goalkeeper’s unusual statistic is the main negative to emerge from an otherwise successful opening-day performance. Al Hilal scored four times to claim the points, while Bounou was unable to produce the clean sheet that had become a familiar feature of the team’s first league match of the season.

Despite the goals conceded, Bounou remains one of the most important players in Al Hilal’s squad. His experience and performances have made him a key part of the side, and the opening victory ensured that the defensive lapse did not prevent the club from starting the league campaign successfully.

The goals scored by Al Faisaly will nevertheless provide Bounou and Al Hilal’s defence with areas to address in their next matches. The Morocco goalkeeper and the players in front of him will now be expected to correct the mistakes that led to the two goals.

For Bounou, the evening contained contrasting developments. He celebrated a win and three points with Al Hilal, but also saw a record that had lasted since his arrival at the club come to an end. The 4-2 scoreline made this a different kind of opening for him with Al Hilal, even though the team began the season with the result it wanted.