Al-Hilal may have seen the departure of megastar Neymar but thanks to fellow Brazilian Kaio Cesar, who was making his debut in Saudi Arabia, the result was never in doubt. The year-old winger fired home from close range in the fourth minute after a shot-cum-cross by Moteb Al-Harbi.
It was the perfect start but the Blue Waves had to wait until the end of the first half to establish their dominance. Two minutes before the break, Serbian midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic curled a free kick worthy of Cristiano Ronaldo into the top corner, and two minutes into added time Marcos Leonardo headed home at the far post following a headed cross from Saudi Arabian international Hassan Tambakti.
The Brazilian forward scored a second from close range just 10 minutes after the restart to seal the win. While the victory put Al-Hilal back on top of the table, Al-Ittihad will join them on points if they beat Al-Kholood at home on Saturday. Later on Friday Ettifaq recorded a much-needed win over Al-Shabab, just a day after the departure of head coach Steven Gerrard. Gini Wijnaldum put the hosts ahead after 35 minutes and despite a quick response from Abderazzak Hamdallah goals from Joao Costa and a second for the Dutchman deep into injury time put the game beyond reach.
Trades of this magnitude do not happen every day. But no, this was real. A trade straight out of a video game. The NBA has seen its fair share of jaw-dropping trades, but this might be the most shocking yet.
For the Lakers, it is a franchise-altering move, securing a generational superstar to lead them into the post-LeBron James era. Meanwhile, the Mavericks add a dominant two-way force in Davis, strengthening their defense and forming a powerful duo with Kyrie Irving.
