Sergej Milinkovic-Savic keeps winning habit as Al-Hilal sweep aside Al-Ahli

Sergej Milinkovic-Savic maintained his remarkable record in front of goal as Al-Hilal beat Al-Ahli 3-0 in their postponed Saudi Pro League fixture on Tuesday.

The Serbian midfielder opened the scoring after nine minutes in the rearranged match from the third round, giving Al-Hilal an early lead in the latest meeting between two of Saudi Arabia’s biggest clubs.

Crysencio Summerville doubled the advantage in the 23rd minute before new signing Ollie Watkins completed the victory four minutes from time. The goal was Watkins’ first for Al-Hilal and came on his debut for the club.

Milinkovic-Savic’s opener was significant in the history of this fixture. It was the second-fastest goal Al-Hilal have scored against Al-Ahli in the professional league, matching Thiago Neves’ effort in November 2011, according to Opta.

The fastest goal in a league meeting between the two sides also belongs to Milinkovic-Savic. He scored in the first minute when the teams met in October 2023.

The 3-0 result also extended a striking unbeaten sequence for Al-Hilal whenever Milinkovic-Savic has scored. Opta’s figures show that the club have never lost any competition match in which the midfielder has found the net.

Milinkovic-Savic has scored 45 goals in 41 such matches, with Al-Hilal winning 36 and drawing five. The remaining results have all avoided defeat for the Riyadh side.

A similar pattern applies to Portugal international Ruben Neves. Al-Hilal have also not lost in any competition match in which he has scored. Neves has found the net 26 times in 24 games, with those matches producing 20 victories and four draws.

Tuesday’s result continued another favourable trend for Al-Hilal against Al-Ahli. It was the seventh time the team had led the fixture by at least two goals at half-time in the professional league.

Al-Hilal had avoided defeat in each of the previous six matches in which they held that advantage at the interval, winning five and drawing one. The most recent of those games ended in a 3-3 draw in September 2025.

Despite the earlier result, Al-Hilal were unable to preserve their lead in that contest. This time, however, goals from Milinkovic-Savic, Summerville and Watkins secured a comprehensive victory and ensured the latest two-goal half-time advantage ended with three points.

Milinkovic-Savic’s contribution once again proved a positive omen for Al-Hilal, whose unbeaten record when he scores remains intact across all competitions.