Between the Saudi national team and Al-Hilal: how did Mohammed Al-Owais's dreams turn into nightmares?

Wesley Said opened the scoring for the Qatari side in the eighth minute, drilling a low left-footed shot from inside the penalty area.

Riyad Mahrez teed up Al-Shamal's second in the 48th minute. His low cross found compatriot Baghdad Bounedjah, who turned it past Mohammed Al-Owais.

The Algerian star wasn't done. He swung in a free-kick that Tunisian midfielder Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane headed into Al-Hilal's net in the 54th minute.

That was the fifth goal Al-Owais has conceded in just three appearances for Al-Hilal this season.

The Saudi goalkeeper has kept just one clean sheet, in the 2-0 win over Al-Raed in the round of 32 of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup last August.

Al-Owais then started against Neom in the sixth round of the Saudi Roshn League. He shipped two goals that handed "the Leader" its first defeat of the campaign.

The strange thing is that this comes at a time when Al-Owais is shining at international level with the Saudi national team.

The Saudi goalkeeper has kept clean sheets in his last six matches for Saudi Arabia, a run that began against Cape Verde in the third round of the group stage at the 2026 World Cup.

That form continued through the five games he played in the Arabian Gulf Cup "Gulf 27", a tournament Saudi Arabia went on to win.

Those displays earned Mohammed Al-Owais the award for best goalkeeper of the Gulf competition.

Al-Owais rejoined Al-Hilal in the last summer transfer window after a single season away, carrying plenty of dreams on the back of his standout performances at the 2026 World Cup.

His biggest hope was to carry the brilliance he had shown with Saudi Arabia at the World Cup straight into his return to "the Boss", reclaiming a place in the starting line-up at the expense of Morocco's Yassine Bounou.

Reality has proved harsher. Al-Owais has sat behind the Moroccan goalkeeper since the start of the season, featuring in just three matches and keeping a clean sheet in only one of them. That makes his dreams hard to attain.

Now he may spend the rest of the season as a substitute at Al-Hilal. Holding on to his place in the Saudi national team, let alone his starting spot, looks a tougher ask than ever.