Nigeria international and former Manchester United loanee, Odion Ighalo, has won his second trophy as Al-Hilal player.
The former Watford and Premier League player led the charge as Al-Hilal defeated another Saudi Pro League club, Al-Wehda, to clinch the Kings Cup trophy.
It was a tight game between both sides at the King Abdullah Sports City. Yoda opened the scoring for Al-Wehda in the 35th minute.
Odion Ighalo was brought on early in the second half of the game, replacing Otayf in the 46th minute as Al-Hilal pushed for an equaliser.
Al-Hilal were tipped as favorites to clinch the trophy coming on against a lowly-rated Al-Wehda side.
The Saudi giants dominated the game, but struggled to equalise after trailing by a lone goal from first half.
Al-Wehda held onto their tenuos lead till the final minutes. They nearly ran out winners but were finally humbled just at the tail end of the game.
Al-Boleahi scored a 90+9th stoppage-time goal to draw the game level and drag it into extra time.
After a pulsating extra time, the tie could not be broken. Both sides headed into penalties to decide the winner of the 2023 King’s Cup trophy.
In the shootouts, Odion Ighalo missed his penalty but Al-Hilal still ran out with a 7-6 win to clinch the trophy after two Al-Wehda players also missed their penalties.
Odion Ighalo has now won his second trophy with the club. The Nigerian striker won his first trophy with Al-Hilal in his debut season in 2022 when he led the team to Saudi Pro League title, emerging as the top scorer with 24 goals.
Since joining the Saudi Pro League from Shanghai Shenhua, the Super Eagles forward has dominated the league.
In his spell with Al-Shabab, Ighalo made 31 appearances for the club, scoring 21 goals. At Al-Hilal, Odion Ighalo has not lost his goal-scoring boot. He has scored 30 goals in 35 appearances, winning the Saudi Pro League title and the King’s Cup.
Ighalo has won the Saudi Pro League Player of the month three times in April and May, 2021 and in March, 2022.
He also made it to the League’s Team of the Year in 2021/22 season.
Ighalo is still active with the Nigeria national team. He has made 37 appearances, scoring 16 goals for the Super Eagles since making his debut in 2015.
How many goals do Odion Ighalo have this season?
Odion Ighalo has scored 18 goals in 22 matches so far in Saudi Pro League this season.
Nine of the 18 goals were scored at home while 9 goals at away games. His goal per game is 0.9.
Who was the first Nigerian player to play for Manchester United?
Odion Ighalo is the first-ever Super Eagles of Nigeria player to play for Manchester United in the Premier League.
He joined Manchester United on loan from Shanghai Shenhua in 2020, making just 23 appearances for the club with 5 goals in all competitions.
How much does Odion Ighalo earn?
Odion Ighalo is earning £83,000 weekly at Al-Hilal. He signed a one-year contract with the club which will expire at the end of this season.
