Trezeguet leaves injured as Al-Riyadh held to goalless draw by Al-Khaleej

Mahmoud Hassan “Trezeguet” was forced off with an early injury as Al-Riyadh drew 0-0 with Al-Khaleej in the Saudi Pro League on Monday.

The Egypt international started the sixth-round match but was unable to continue after being hurt in the 12th minute. He went down on the pitch and called for Al-Riyadh’s medical staff to attend to him.

Trezeguet was later substituted on the advice of the club’s medical team, who opted to remove him from the game to prevent the injury from becoming worse. He left the field in tears.

The circumstances appeared to suggest that Trezeguet had not fully recovered before returning to action. He had missed Al-Riyadh’s previous match, a meeting with Al Ahli on Friday, because of a muscle injury.

His inclusion in the starting line-up against Al-Khaleej therefore marked his return to the team, but his involvement lasted only 12 minutes. No further details about the nature or severity of the latest injury were provided.

The match at Al-Riyadh ended without a goal, leaving both sides with one point from a fixture in which Trezeguet’s early departure became the main talking point.

Al-Riyadh now have five points from their opening six Saudi Pro League matches and sit 12th in the table. Al-Khaleej are one place below them in 13th, with four points.

For Trezeguet, the injury represents another interruption after he had already been absent for the previous league game. His early exit also meant Al-Riyadh had to complete almost the entire match without one of the players selected in their starting line-up.

Despite the setback, Al-Riyadh avoided defeat and added to their points total. Al-Khaleej also secured a point from the goalless draw, but remain directly behind their opponents in the standings.