Getty Images SportNeom dealt Al-Hilal a heavy blow on Monday evening, handing the league leaders their first Roshn League defeat of the season with a 2-0 win in the sixth round.
Historic doesn't begin to cover it. Neom brought down the Roshn League leaders and ended their perfect start, throwing their rivals, Al-Nassr chief among them, a valuable chance to close the gap at the top.
Getty Images SportAl-Hilal went into the match in high spirits after five straight wins, but a surprise blow landed before kick-off. Yassine Bounou pulled up injured during the warm-up, forcing Mohammed Al-Owais into goal.
The blue side fell short of expectations, undone by tight defensive organisation from NEOM. The hosts closed down the spaces in front of Al-Hilal's stars and choked off their usual threat.
Read also: After the Bounou shock: Koulibaly and Al-Owais land Al-Hilal in trouble against NEOM
The first shock arrived in the 15th minute. Senegal's Kalidou Koulibaly turned the ball into his own net by mistake, handing NEOM the lead and upsetting Al-Hilal's plans early on.
Quick to respond, Al-Hilal ran straight into an organised defence. Most of their attempts came from outside the box and posed no real threat to the NEOM goal, with Sultan Al-Mandash and Kaio Cesar Sormville both out of luck.
Simone Inzaghi rang the changes in the second half, throwing on Nasser Al-Dawsari, Sultan Mandash and Mohamed Kader Meite to inject more attacking threat and drag Al-Hilal back into the contest.
Gabriel Martinelli should have pulled one back in the 50th minute. He wasted a one-on-one in front of the Neom goal, and three minutes later Ruben Neves dragged a shot past the left post.
Marcin Bulka took centre stage again in the 65th minute, brilliantly denying a dangerous Ollie Watkins header inside the box to keep Al-Hilal at bay. The goalkeeper kept it up throughout, turning away further Al-Hilal efforts in the second half.
Those chances aside, Neom tightened their grip and protected their lead to the final whistle. A precious 2-0 win was theirs.
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Getty Images SportAl-Hilal's tally froze at 15 points after they suffered their first defeat in the Roshn League this season, ending a run of five straight wins, while Neom moved to 12 points with their fourth victory in the competition.
This one stings for Al-Hilal. It is their first domestic loss since Italian Simone Inzaghi took charge of the leaders at the start of last season, and it brings their perfect start to an end.
For Al-Nassr, the result lands like a gift. Sitting on 12 points heading into the round, they can now draw level with the leaders if they beat Abha on Wednesday.
