Former Barcelona Attacker Strikes Twice As Al Hilal Sink Sundowns In Austrian Friendly
Former Barcelona forward Malcom scored a brace as Saudi Pro League giants Al Hilal defeated Mamelodi Sundowns 2-0 in a preseason friendly at Sportplatz Oberbuch Stadium in Austria on Friday evening.
The 29-year-old Brazilian gave Al Hilal an early lead after finding the back of the net inside the opening 10 minutes. He then completed his brace in the second half to hand Miguel Cardoso’s side their first defeat of their Austrian training camp.
The match formed part of Sundowns’ preparations for what promises to be another demanding campaign.
The reigning African champions are using their preseason camp in Austria to build fitness and fine-tune their squad ahead of the new season, during which they will also aim to successfully defend the CAF Champions League title they won last season — the club’s second continental crown after their historic triumph in 2016.
Friday’s encounter was Sundowns’ second preseason fixture. In their opening match, they played to a 1-1 draw against German Bundesliga 2 side Hertha Berlin, with new signing Antonio Van Wyk scoring the equaliser.
Van Wyk is no stranger to Austrian football, having joined Sundowns from Austrian Bundesliga club SV Ried.
Despite the defeat to Al Hilal, Sundowns will continue their preseason programme with another high-profile test against Algerian champions MC Alger in Mondsee.
They will then return to South Africa to finalise their preparations for the start of the 2026/27 Betway Premiership season.
The Tshwane giants begin their league campaign against Marumo Gallants on 1 August at Loftus Versfeld Stadium, where they will look to start the new domestic season on a winning note.
