Odion Ighalo starts the season in brilliant fashion as Al-Hilal begin title defence with a win

Super Eagles star Odion Ighalo resumed from where he stopped last season after scoring and assisting another to give Al-Hilal a 2-0 win over Al-Khaleel in their first league game of the season.

Ighalo finished as the top scorer in the Saudi Professional League last season with 24 goals.

Twelve of the strikes came in the colours of Al-Hilal, which helped the side win the league title. 

The Nigerian international has now continued from where he left off, with a goal and an assist in the first league game of the season. 

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Ighalo got off the mark as early as the third minute with a fine strike. The Super Eagles star then went from scorer to provider as he set up former Porto man Moussa Marega in the 25th minute for Al-Hilal's second. 

The former Watford man was unplayable throughout the game, creating one big chance and making two key passes. Al-Hilal went into the break with a two-goal lead but had the chance to extend their lead after the break. 

However, they were denied by Douglas Friedrich in Al-Khaleej's goal. It did not matter, though, as Ighalo and Marega's strikes were enough to give the defending champions a perfect start to their title defence. Ramon Diaz's men will continue their quest for another successive league title with a clash against Al Feiha on Wednesday.