Al Hilal and Salzburg Battle to a Goalless Stalemate, Keeping Group H in Play

The race in Group H of the FIFA Club World Cup (CWC) remains tantalisingly balanced following a goalless draw between Salzburg and Al Hilal in Washington DC. The result marked the end of the Red Bulls’ impressive 16-match scoring streak.

Al Hilal, buoyed by their historic achievement of being the first Asian club to secure a draw against European rivals in the CWC by holding Real Madrid, began the match with intent and nearly took the lead within the opening three minutes.

The Saudi side’s Portuguese full-back, Joao Cancelo, linked well with Malcom down the right flank. However, Cancelo was unable to find the target, dragging his shot wide from a promising position within the penalty area. Despite dominating the first half, Al Hilal relied heavily on goalkeeper Yassine Bounou to maintain the stalemate.

Salzburg’s methodical build-up play came to life when Frans Kratzig sent a floated cross into the box, which was met by Karim Onisiwo in a rather unorthodox manner. Bounou responded with a superb save, tipping the ball over the crossbar.

Simone Inzaghi’s charges settled into their rhythm after that scare, yet they struggled to get past the Salzburg goalkeeper despite controlling the match. Their best chance in the first half came at the 21-minute mark when Salem Al Dawsari’s cross found Sergej Milinkovic-Savic; however, his header was spectacularly blocked by the recovering Jacob Rasmussen, who subsequently also denied a follow-up shot from Marcos Leonardo.

A tactical shift at halftime allowed Thomas Letsch’s squad to find their footing, and they came agonisingly close to scoring just three minutes after the restart.

Recycling a corner effectively, Salzburg created a chance that saw Bounou once again deny John Mellberg from close range, with Kalidou Koulibaly clearing Dorgeles Nene’s rebound off the line.

Al Hilal steadied their nerves and had several opportunities, including a fierce strike from Cancelo that was expertly diverted to safety, followed by a deflected attempt from Malcom that went wide of the goal.

As the cooling break approached, Salzburg appeared to be the more energetic team, their confidence visibly growing as they resumed play, highlighted by Yorbe Vertessen firing off target.

Despite their persistence, Salzburg couldn’t find a breakthrough against Bounou, with this draw halting their three-match winning streak and denying them the opportunity to progress to the knockout stages.

Salzburg’s next challenge comes against Real Madrid on matchday three, where they must secure a win to guarantee advancement. Meanwhile, Al Hilal also needs a victory against Pachuca to qualify, despite extending their unbeaten streak to seven matches.

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