Malcom brace sinks Mamelodi Sundowns as Al Hilal extend perfect pre-season run

Brazilian winger Malcom struck twice to give Al Hilal a 2-0 friendly win over African champions Mamelodi Sundowns as the Saudi side continued their flawless build-up to the 2026-27 season in Austria.

The 27-year-old has now scored three goals in two pre-season outings at the club’s external training camp, underlining his status as a key attacking figure for new head coach Simone Inzaghi.

Facing the South African giants on Friday at their Austrian base, Al Hilal took control through Malcom in each half, while the Italian coach used the game to rotate heavily and introduce several recent signings.

Malcom maintains prolific pre-season form

Al Hilal went in front in the first half when Malcom broke clear of the Sundowns defence and finished after being played through by a precise pass from Serbian midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.

After the interval, Malcom doubled the lead, meeting a cross from new arrival Sabri Dhal and steering the ball directly into the net to complete his brace.

The Brazilian had also been on the scoresheet in Al Hilal’s previous friendly at the same camp, a 2-1 victory over Austrian side Sturm Graz, taking his tally to three goals in two matches.

The win over Mamelodi Sundowns adds to a positive start to pre-season for “Al Zaeem”, who are using the Austrian camp to fine-tune preparations ahead of the new domestic and continental campaigns.

Inzaghi hands chances to new signings

Simone Inzaghi took the opportunity to field a broad range of players across the 90 minutes, with a particular focus on integrating summer recruits into the squad.

Among the most notable appearances was that of Saudi Arabia international goalkeeper Mohammed Al Owais, who played for the first time since joining the club, coming on in the second half.

Inzaghi’s selection underlined his intent to build depth and competition for places, as he continues to assess his options before the start of the 2026-27 campaign.

More friendlies scheduled in Austria

Al Hilal’s Austrian camp is set to continue with two further warm-up fixtures in the coming days.

The Riyadh club will face Algerian side MC Alger on 29 July, before taking on Al Ahli (Qatar) on 3 August as they round off their overseas preparations.

Those matches will offer additional opportunities for Inzaghi to refine his tactics and for Malcom and the rest of the attacking line-up to extend their encouraging pre-season form.