Soccer Football - Saudi Pro League - Al Hilal v Al Ittihad - Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - March 1, 2024 Al Hilal fans wave a flag of Malcom during the match REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo
(Reuters) - Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal have set a world record for consecutive victories by a top-flight team after beating Al-Ittihad 2-0 in the Asian Champions league quarter-finals on Tuesday for a 28th straight win.
Jorge Jesus' side beat the previous record of 27 consecutive victories by Welsh Premier League champions The New Saints (TNS) from the 2016-17 season. TNS had beaten Ajax Amsterdam’s 26-game winning streak, a record that had stood for 44 years.
"This is truly an incredible achievement and I want to thank everyone at the club for their part in this momentous winning record," said manager Jesus.
“As I have said throughout this period, however, records do not matter as much as trophies. It is up to everyone at Al Hilal to ensure that we close out the season as Roshn Saudi League champions and meet our targets in the cup competitions. Only then can we truly celebrate.”
Jesus' side lead the Saudi league with 65 points, 12 ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr, who were eliminated from the Asian Champions League on Monday after a penalty shootout loss to Al-Ain.
Al-Hilal, the 2022 runners-up, will face Al-Ain in the semi-finals.
Jesus's side can extend their winning run when they host Damac in the league on Saturday.
(Reporting by Ahmed Asal; Editing by Toby Davis)
