Al Hilal are the most successful football club in Asia and Saudi Arabia. They are also the current AFC Champions League holders and in Leonardo Jardim, possess a coach that has previously been considered by several European heavyweights.
So despite going into their Club World Cup semi-final against Chelsea as underdogs, there was no inferiority complex. Al Hilal would play to win, not simply to try to keep the score down.
That became clear inside the opening five minutes of the contest. The Saudi Arabian side pushed their defensive line high up the pitch and pressed the Blues' centre-backs. The approach momentarily unnerved the European champions, but Chelsea soon managed to compose themselves and take charge of possession.
Al Hilal were forced back yet ensured they were never camped out on the edge of their 18-yard box. That gave Thomas Tuchel's side space to exploit and Romelu Lukaku managed to do so on a couple of occasions prior to prodding home from close range to open the scoring.
There was an expectation Chelsea would use that goal as a platform on which to build a commanding victory. It didn't happen. The Blues were lacklustre in the second period and Al Hilal grew in confidence as the match progressed.
Jardim's side continued to hold a high defensive line and attempted to sustain attacks in the Chelsea half. In the Blues goal, Kepa Arrizabalaga was forced into two fine stops: the first to deny Moussa Marega and the second to stop a fierce drive from the impressive Mohamed Kanno.
With Tuchel absent – the Chelsea head coach in self-isolation having tested positive for Covid – it was left to assistants Zsolt Low, Arno Michels and Anthony Barry to try to shift the momentum back into the Blues' favour. And they had five substitutions to use if required.
The half-time introduction of N'Golo Kante for Jorginho didn't have the desired effect. Neither did Mason Mount for Hakim Ziyech. Chelsea's third and final change came in the 87th minute and saw Malang Sarr replace Marcos Alonso at left wing-back.
On Chelsea's bench remained a wealth of talent, including Trevoh Chalobah, Saul Niguez, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Christian Pulisic, and Timo Werner. That the latter wasn't introduced was certainly a surprise.
Werner has struggled at Chelsea since his £49.5million move from RB Leipzig in the summer of 2020, and that is despite plenty of effort being made by Frank Lampard and then Thomas Tuchel to try to bring out the best of the German.
The 25-year-old has been used through the middle as a nine, out on the left flank as a winger, as a left ten in Tuchel's 3-4-2-1, and even in tandem with Romelu Lukaku this term. Yet he remains a husk of the player that terrorised Bundesliga defences.
Werner is at his best when there is space to exploit. It's why he thrived in the frenetic German top-flight in which attacking transitions and counter-attacks are frequent and why he has posed Liverpool and Man City a threat with Chelsea.
When faced with a deep block, however, Werner is blunted. He doesn't possess the technical quality to beat defenders in tight spaces and hasn't mastered the subtle penalty-box movement needed to sniff out goals against stubborn backlines.
In his 72 appearances for Chelsea, the German international has scored 18 times. And of those, only three have been struck in matches against what would be considered elite-level opponents (Tottenham, Real Madrid and Juventus).
Given that record and his performances this season, it's no great surprise that Werner has fallen down the attacking pecking order at Stamford Bridge. The great hope that accompanied his signing has long fizzled out.
There are mitigating factors as to why; Werner suffered a hamstring injury earlier in the campaign and had Covid in December. But the fact Werner has started on just three occasions for Chelsea – against Chesterfield, Plymouth and Tottenham since the turn of the year – feels telling.
As does the decision from Chelsea's coaching staff not to turn to the forward against Al Hilal. The second half of the match appeared perfectly set-up for the former Leipzig star: there was space to run into and weary defenders to run ragged. Still, he remained on the bench.
Werner remains a popular player among the Blues fanbase; his high-energy, hard-running style ingratiates itself with match-going fans especially. But even the German is somewhat bemused at the backing he has received.
"Sometimes I don’t know why they are supporting me so much," Werner told reporter Lynsey Hooper in January. "I’m a striker and I want to score but miss chances."
Unfortunately for Werner, Chelsea's coaching team appear less forgiving. And it will be no shock if he is left on the bench once again for Saturday's Club World Cup final against Palmeiras.
