Al-Hilal's Rollercoaster Performance Against Al-Faisaly

Al-Hilal walked off at half-time as if the job was done. Three goals up, crowd relaxed, bench smiling. It looked like a training exercise.

Then the second half arrived, and so did Al-Faisaly.

A sharp drop in intensity from the league giants opened the door, and Al-Faisaly stormed straight through it, striking twice in five chaotic minutes to turn a cruise into a contest. What should have been a statement win became a warning sign.

Filippo Inzaghi did not hide from it. Speaking to Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat, the Al-Hilal coach split the performance cleanly in two.

“In the first half we played wonderfully,” he said. “In the second half there was a lack of output from some of the players, but we can improve that.”

The tone was honest, even a touch self-critical. The Italian made it clear the staff shared responsibility for the slump.

“In the second half there was a drop in level, and this is something we suffered from as a coaching staff,” he admitted. “But we always work to make our fans happy.”

Questions around the squad ran beyond the 90 minutes. One of the biggest surrounded Theo Hernandez, the French full-back whose absence from the team has raised eyebrows, especially with reports that he has been training with the group in recent weeks.

Inzaghi moved to cool any speculation.

“Theo Hernandez arrived late to the group, and did not get a sufficient number of training sessions, and soon we will see him with the team,” he explained.

So no drama there, just conditioning and timing. The same cannot be said for the transfer noise around Malcom.

The Brazilian winger has been linked with a move to newly promoted Al-Diriyah in the Roshn League, a story that has gathered pace as the summer window ticks on. On the pitch, though, Malcom delivered.

“Malcom put in an excellent performance, and he must continue to deliver at this level,” Inzaghi said, before drawing a firm line. “I do not want to talk about the transfer window, because that is a matter for the sporting management.”

If Malcom’s future is a talking point, Karim Benzema’s reaction was the flashpoint.

The French striker bristled after being substituted in the 70th minute, a moment that immediately stirred debate about his relationship with the new coach. A star of Benzema’s stature leaving the pitch early rarely passes quietly.

Inzaghi, again, played it down, framing it as the kind of exchange that happens inside any ambitious dressing room.

“It was a conversation between a coach and his player, which included some banter and talk about the course of the match,” he said. “As a striker, he always works to be present in attacking situations.”

A competitor unhappy to come off, a coach unafraid to make the call. For a club with Al-Hilal’s ambitions, that tension can be healthy—if it’s channelled properly.

Behind the headline names, Inzaghi also made sure to shine a light on the next wave. He underlined his belief in the club’s young talent and singled out one name as a symbol of that faith.

“We have players of a high level, and Sabri Dahl will get his chance in the future, him and the rest of the young players,” he said.

A stuttering second half, a restless superstar, transfer rumours swirling, and a promise to blood youth: Al-Hilal’s season is already carrying a charge. The question now is whether Inzaghi can turn that energy into control before a five-minute wobble becomes something far more costly.