RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (Interstat) — Al Hilal opened its Saudi Pro League season with a commanding 6-0 victory over Al Kholood on Wednesday at Kingdom Arena.

Karim Benzema led the rout with a first-half hat trick, scoring in the eighth, 31st and stoppage time of the first half. Defender Moteb Al Harbi opened the scoring in the seventh minute, while Salem Al Dawsari and Marcos Leonardo added second-half goals. The result defied a pregame projection of a 2-0 win for Al Hilal, which was given a 98.7 percent probability to win. Al Hilal begins the campaign 1-0-0, while Al Kholood starts 0-1-0.