Al Hilal have been crowned Saudi Arabian champions for the 16th time after they sealed the championship on Saturday night with two rounds to spare. The Riyadh side, the reigning Asian champions, defeated Al Hazem 4-1 at the King Saud University Stadium, with Bafetimbi Gomis netting a hat-trick. The win ensured Hilal remain six points clear of last season’s league winners Al Nassr, but their superior head-to-head record means the trophy moves back across the city following a one-year hiatus. Hilal round off their Saudi Pro League campaign away to Al Wahda on Friday before hosting Al Shabab on September 9. Razvan Lucescu's men resume their Asian Champions League defence five days later, when they complete Group B in the pandemic-impacted revised pool stage. Hilal sit second in the standings after two matches, level on six points with Uzbekistan’s Pakhtakor. All remaining group matches take place in Doha. Against Hazem on Saturday, Hilal actually went a goal down within three minutes to the visitors, but quickly rebounded through Salem Al Dawsari before Gomis struck a treble that included two penalties. It moved the Frenchman to 24 goals for the season, three behind the league's lead scorer Abderrazak Hamdallah.
