Al Hilal sit top of the Saudi Pro League with 27 points from 10 games, two ahead of Al Nassr, after a 3-2 victory at Al Qadsiah that underlined both their quality and their vulnerabilities. Gabriel Martinelli, Ruben Neves and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic scored the goals, and the win ended a run of poor results at that ground stretching back to December 2020. The three points matter, but the performance raised questions about the squad's physical condition.

Neves spoke candidly after the match, revealing that the squad had spent 25 hours travelling by bus due to airport closures caused by Houthi attacks on Saudi infrastructure. That logistical burden, layered on top of an already congested schedule, has left players visibly drained.

The frustration has spilled into a wider dispute with the Asian Football Confederation. Al Hilal had previously requested a postponement of their AFC Champions League Elite fixture against Al-Sadd on similar grounds and were refused, yet the AFC later postponed Al Nassr's match against Al-Wasl. The club's management expressed anger at what they see as an inconsistent application of the rules, and the Saudi Football Federation issued a formal statement of solidarity with Al Nassr in response.

Al Hilal's next fixture is an AFC Champions League Elite away trip to Al-Shamal on 27 October, a game that arrives with the squad already stretched and the club's relationship with Asian football's governing body under strain.