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- Late penalty seals surprise win for Eastern Province team and lifts them to eighth in SPL table
Al-Fateh on Saturday banished one of the Saudi Professional League’s most unwanted records after beating domestic and Asian champions Al-Hilal for the first time in 2,932 days.
That Al-Fateh won 3-2 at the at Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium, the home of the recently crowned AFC Champions League winners, makes the result in the 14th round of the season even more remarkable.
Despite the absence of seven players due to positive COVID-19 results, suspension and injuries, mid-table Al-Fateh confounded their more illustrious opponents with a courageous display of attacking football.
Andre Carrillo gave Al-Hilal a 12th-minute lead before Murad Batna equalized for Al-Fateh just four minutes later, and there would be no addition to the score in the first half.
On 71 minutes, Sofiane Bendebke, fresh from helping Algeria win the 2021 FIFA Arab Cup, gave Al-Fateh the lead, but that again lasted only four minutes, with Frenchman Bafetimbi Gomis levelling for the champions.
With time running out, Batna won the match for Al-Fateh by converting an 87th-minute penalty. This time Al-Hilal had no answer, the defeat leaving them in fourth place, five points behind leader Al-Ittihad. Al-Fateh’s win lifted them to eighth in the SPL table.
Al-Fateh’s last victory over Al-Hilal dates back to Dec. 14, 2013, when they won 2-1 on their way to winning the SPL for the only time in their history