Ali Al-Bulaihi didn't just write a new chapter in Saudi Pro League history by leading Al-Shabab to victory over Al-Fateh. The echoes of his exceptional night reached all the way to the television studios, when the Al-Shabab defender fired a striking message at broadcaster Waleed Al-Farraj and drew a response that stole the show.
Having scored twice in Al-Shabab's 3-1 win, Al-Bulaihi chose to aim his words at Al-Farraj after the match. The encounter didn't only earn him three vital points. It also made him the sole holder of a historic achievement among defenders in the competition.
The Al-Shabab defender said after the match: "I will dedicate the match to Waleed Al-Farraj", before speaking about the importance of the victory, adding: "We achieved an important win after stumbling at home.. it is natural that I score, and I set the scoring record as a defender in the league!".
Al-Farraj wasted no time responding. The broadcaster appeared on his programme "Rotana Sport with Waleed" on Rotana Khaleejia, raising his agal in a striking moment, and confirmed that the Al-Shabab defender has every right to say what he wants, a nod to the player's remarks following his achievement.
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All of this followed an exceptional display from Al-Bulaihi against Al-Fateh. Ricardo Matias opened the scoring for Al-Shabab in the 17th minute, before the Saudi defender added the second in the 31st. Lukas Haraslin pulled one back for Al-Fateh in the 40th minute, then Al-Bulaihi returned in the second half to net his side's third in the 54th.
His brace took Al-Bulaihi to 22 goals across his Pro League career, making him the outright leader on the list of highest-scoring defenders in the competition. He surpassed Algeria's Farouk Chafai, who has 21. Of his goals, 17 came with Al-Hilal, four with Al-Shabab and one in an Al-Fateh shirt.