Al-Hilal Saudi Arabia won against their guests Inter Miami from the United States with a score of 4-3 on Monday at the "Kingdom Arena," in the first match of the Riyadh Season Cup 2024. Al-Hilal took the lead in the 10th minute through Alexander Mitrović, and his teammate Abdullah Al-Hamdan extended the advantage in the 13th minute. Luis Suárez reduced the deficit in the 34th minute, and Delgado widened the gap again for the champions in the 44th minute. Lionel Messi scored the second goal for the American team from a penalty in the 54th minute, and David Ruiz equalized in the 55th minute. The thrilling winning goal came from Malcom in the 88th minute.
Both teams started the match by seeking an offensive initiative to appear in the attacking areas, with the early minutes marked by competitiveness in possession and attempts to breach defenses. The situation changed dramatically in the 9th minute, with Al-Hilal dominating the ball, leading to a remarkable goal by professional Alexander Mitrović. The champions continued their forward pressure despite the lead and solidified their advantage with the second goal from Abdullah Al-Hamdan in the 13th minute.
The team coached by Argentine Tata Martino attempted to return to the match by possessing the ball and exploring the champions' defensive gaps, but to no avail due to Al-Hilal's vigilant defense. The American team intensified its attacking efforts starting from the 30th minute, leading to a goal by Luis Suárez in the 34th minute. The same player was close to scoring the equalizer in the 38th minute, but an offside flag thwarted that attempt.
The champions resorted to quick counter-attacks to try to widen the gap again, which was achieved in the 44th minute via a header from Michelle Delgado. Inter Miami entered the second half under pressure to score the second goal, and they did so in the 54th minute through Lionel Messi from a penalty. Just a minute later, Inter Miami equalized through David Ruiz.
The Al-Hilal team physically declined after the equalizer, but Malcom saved the champions by scoring the winning goal in the 88th minute after a mistake by Inter Miami's goalkeeper Kalender.
