NEOM handed Al Hilal their first defeat of the season, securing a 2–0 victory on Monday evening at Kingdom Arena in Matchday 6 of the Saudi Pro League.
The result puts an end to Simone Inzaghi’s side’s perfect start to the campaign following five consecutive league wins, on a night where Al Hilal struggled with defensive errors and a lack of clinical finishing in front of the visitors’ goal.
Al Hilal entered the encounter severely depleted by injuries, missing Salem Al-Dawsari, Theo Hernández (adductor), Ali Lajami (hamstring), and Yusuf Akçiçek (knee). Furthermore, the hosts lost goalkeeper Yassine Bounou minutes before kickoff after he felt muscular discomfort during warm-ups, with Mohammed Al-Owais stepping in to replace him.
Gabriel Martinelli nearly gave Al Hilal a dream start on his full debut, but his initial effort went straight to goalkeeper Marcin Bułka. NEOM then took the lead in the 14th minute when Kalidou Koulibaly inadvertently headed the ball into his own net while attempting a clearance.
Amadou Koné doubled the advantage in the 44th minute, pouncing on a rebound inside the box after Alexandre Lacazette’s header crashed off the crossbar to slot home with his left foot, compounding the home side’s troubles before the interval.
Inzaghi introduced a triple substitution at the start of the second half, bringing on Nasser Al-Dawsari, Sultan Mandash, and Mohammed Al-Breik. While Al Hilal applied intense attacking pressure, Bułka made consecutive saves to deny Ollie Watkins, while Mandash dragged another effort wide. At the other end, Haroune Camara nearly added a third for NEOM, only to be denied by Al-Owais.
This marks NEOM’s first official victory over Al Hilal in club history, following two league defeats last season (2–1 and 2–0), though NEOM previously recorded a 2–1 friendly win over the Riyadh giants in December 2025.
Despite the setback, Al Hilal remain top of the standings with 15 points from 6 matches—3 points ahead of Al Nassr and Al Qadsiah, who both have a game in hand. Meanwhile, NEOM moved up to fourth place temporarily with 12 points.
Al Hilal will travel to face Al Taawoun on Saturday evening, September 12, before hosting Qatar’s Al Gharafa in the AFC Champions League Elite three days later.
