Al-Hilal goalkeeper Mohammed Al Owais faces battle to revive club career

Mohammed Al Owais’ return to Al-Hilal has turned into a difficult start, with the Saudi Arabia goalkeeper conceding five goals in his first three appearances for the club this season despite an impressive run with the national team.

Al-Hilal visited Qatar’s Al-Shamal at Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor on Tuesday for the third round of the league phase of the AFC Champions League Elite.

Wesley Said put Al-Shamal ahead after eight minutes, driving a powerful low left-footed shot into the net from inside the penalty area.

The hosts doubled their advantage three minutes after half-time when Riyad Mahrez delivered a low cross which his compatriot Baghdad Bounedjah converted past Al Owais.

Mahrez then created Al-Shamal’s third goal from a free-kick cross. Tunisia midfielder Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane met the ball with a header and sent it into the Al-Hilal net in the 54th minute.

The goal was the fifth Al Owais had conceded in the three matches he has played for Al-Hilal since the start of the current campaign.

His only clean sheet came in a 2-0 victory over Al-Raed in the last 32 of the King Cup in August.

Al Owais subsequently started against Neom in the sixth round of the Saudi Pro League, conceding twice as Al-Hilal suffered their first defeat of the season.

Contrasting fortunes for Saudi Arabia

The goalkeeper’s club struggles have come at a time when he has been enjoying a strong run of form for Saudi Arabia.

Al Owais has kept clean sheets in each of his last six appearances for the national side, a sequence which began with the match against Cape Verde in the third round of the 2026 World Cup group stage.

He also recorded five clean sheets in the five matches he played for Saudi Arabia at the 27th Arabian Gulf Cup, where the national team went on to win the title.

Those performances earned Al Owais the award for the tournament’s best goalkeeper.

He returned to Al-Hilal during the previous summer transfer window after spending one season away from the club. His move back followed his impressive displays at the 2026 World Cup and was accompanied by ambitions of reclaiming the starting position from Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.

Instead, Al Owais has remained Bounou’s understudy since the beginning of the season and has played only three matches. He has kept a clean sheet in just one of them.

His limited involvement and the goals conceded in his appearances could make it difficult for him to displace the Moroccan goalkeeper during the remainder of the campaign.

That situation may also threaten Al Owais’ hopes of retaining his place as Saudi Arabia’s first-choice goalkeeper and continuing his involvement with the national team.