A major hand in cutting Al Nassr's advantage at the top of the Roshn Saudi League to two points, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic was in little doubt as to the importance of next week’s Capital Derby.
"We go game by game," the Al Hilal goalscorer said on Tuesday night following his team's come-from-behind, 2-1 win at Al Khaleej. "First one is the [King’s Cup] final [on Friday].
"Then, after, Al Nassr will be the final for the league."
As if next Tuesday’s all-Riyadh affair, where RSL leaders Al Nassr host second-placed Al Hilal with only three full rounds remaining, couldn’t get any bigger.
Sergej Milinkovic-Savic equalises for Al Hilal at Al Khaleej
Yes, as Milinkovic-Savic said, Al Hilal have a mammoth match to contest this Friday, when they take on history-makers Al Kholood in Jeddah in the showpiece game of the Saudi Arabian club calendar.
But, having rallied from an early set-back to see off Al Khaleej in their rescheduled Matchweek 28 clash, Al Hilal had done what was required in the RSL.
With the victory, they hauled themselves to two points off Al Nassr at the summit, even if their arch-rivals can extend that lead back to five when they tackle another Riyadh derby, at Al Shabab, on Thursday.
Sultan Mandash nets winner for Al Hilal at Al Khaleej to close gap on Al Nassr to two points
And then? Well, only one of the most anticipated matches of the season, when Jorge Jesus' side welcome his former employers to Al Awwal Park for the campaign’s closing Capital Derby.
Three points secured in Dammam – Al Hilal rebounded from Joshua King’s early goal through a Milinkovic-Savic header and then Sultan Mandash’s match-winning intervention 11 minutes from time – Simone Inzaghi’s men have kept this gripping title race rumbling on.
"Of course, difficult game against this Al Khaleej team, especially here when we play is difficult," said Milinkovic-Savic, a 2023-24 RSL champion with Al Hilal.
"But we knew from the beginning, what we need to do to win the game… and to go closer to Al Nassr."
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Check out the season's first Capital Derby through this epic picture gallery
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