Shabab defeated title holder and host Al-Hilal 2-0 in a round-two encounter of the Zain Saudi Professional League at King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh Thursday. Striker Nassir Al-Shamrani put Shabab in the lead after 22 minutes, following a cross from the left by Guinean attacking midfielder, Ibrahim Yattara. With the help of midfielder Ahmed Ottaif this time, Shamrani made it 2-0 in the 75th minute. Shabab showed a fine performance in the first half. The lions succeeded in taking the lead and dominated the first period. After the break, Hilal players' performance improved and they started launching attacks. But Shamrani surprised the blues with another goal that made Hilal fans leave the stadium early. Three minutes before the final whistle, Hilal's Cameroonian Achille Emana received a second yellow card to add to Hilal's misery. Shabab is now on top of the standings with six points while Hilal, which had not been defeated last season, is now seventh with three points. Elsewhere, Al-Ta'awon collected its first three points after winning 2-1 over visitor Hajr at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Buraidah. At Al-Okhdoud Stadium in Najran, Al-Ittifaq beat its host, Najran, 3-0. Ittifaq is second on the standings while Najran is ninth with a single point. Al-Ittihad encounter against Al-Fateh was rescheduled since Ittihad had an Asian encounter against FC Seoul of South Korea. __
