Salem Al-Dawsari is back among the goals. The Al-Hilal captain ended a drought of almost 200 days by netting his first of the season for "the Boss".
Al-Hilal travelled to Qatar to face Al-Shamal on Tuesday at the Al-Bayt Stadium in Al-Khor, in the third round of the league stage of the AFC Champions League Elite.
Al-Dawsari broke the deadlock on 32 minutes. France full-back Theo Hernandez rolled a low ball across the face of goal, and the skipper tapped into an empty net with the keeper stranded.
It was a first strike of the campaign for "the Tornado", arriving on his first start for the club and his third appearance in all. His other two came off the bench in the Roshn League, each lasting only a few minutes.
Surgery had kept Al-Dawsari out since the start of the season, an operation that followed his run with Saudi Arabia at the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The goal ended a wait of 197 days in the "the Boss" shirt. He had last found the net in the 3-3 draw with Qatar's Al-Sadd, in the round of 16 of the same competition, before Al-Hilal went out on penalties on 13 April.
Since then, Salem had turned out 8 times for Al-Hilal across the Roshn League and the AFC Champions League Elite, 6 at the back end of last season and 2 this term. He drew a blank in every one until his effort against Al-Shamal.