Al-Hilal's Perfect Start Crumbles Against Neom

Al-Hilal’s perfect start to the Roshn League season cracked before a ball was even kicked.

During the warm-up, Yassine Bounou pulled up injured, clutching what looked like a muscle problem, and suddenly everything changed. Simone Inzaghi had no choice. Out went one of the league’s most reliable goalkeepers; in came Mohammed Al-Owais at the last moment, cold and under immediate scrutiny.

The disruption rattled Al-Hilal. You could see it from the opening minutes. The back line hesitated, passes out from the back lost their bite, and Neom sensed weakness. They pressed high, swarmed the ball, and forced the hosts into a string of nervous clearances.

Koulibaly’s own goal lights the fuse

The early tension exploded on 15 minutes.

A routine defensive situation turned into a nightmare as Kalidou Koulibaly, usually the rock at the heart of Al-Hilal’s defence, misjudged a header and steered the ball into his own net. Neom had the lead, and Al-Owais was picking the ball out of his goal for the first time on a night that was only getting tougher.

The timing could not have been worse for Al-Hilal. Still reeling from Bounou’s withdrawal, they suddenly found themselves behind to a side that had arrived full of belief and energy. Inzaghi’s game plan, built around control and stability from the back, was shredded within a quarter of an hour.

Neom grew taller with every minute. They pushed Al-Hilal deeper, forced errors in possession, and refused to let the hosts settle. The league leaders, perfect through five rounds, looked anything but comfortable.

Al-Owais misjudgment deepens the crisis

Just when Al-Hilal needed calm before the break, panic struck again.

In the 44th minute, Al-Owais rushed off his line, misreading the situation completely. The ball spilled into the Neom penalty area amid total defensive confusion. Al-Hilal’s back line, marshalled by Koulibaly, failed to react decisively, and Amadou Koné seized the moment, punishing the chaos to make it 2-0.

What began as an enforced goalkeeping change had become a full-blown crisis. Al-Owais, thrown in at the last second, struggled to provide the authority and assurance Bounou usually brings. In front of him, the defensive unit lost its shape and composure, gifting Neom a cushion they barely had to work for.

Neom didn’t just have a lead; they had history on their side.

Opta data underlined the scale of Al-Hilal’s task. Across the first five rounds of the Roshn League, Neom had won all three matches in which they scored the opening goal. Once they struck first, they knew how to lock things down.

Now they had two.

Perfect record under siege

Al-Hilal entered the sixth round with five wins from five and 15 points in the bank. They had looked like a machine so far this season, sweeping aside opponents and setting an early standard at the top of the table.

Against Neom, that machine sputtered.

Bounou’s sudden injury ripped out a key piece. Individual mistakes from Al-Owais and Koulibaly did the rest, handing the visitors exactly the kind of platform they thrive on. Neom’s confidence, already high, surged with every misstep from the hosts.

By half-time, the scoreboard told a rare story: Al-Hilal 0, Neom 2.

Seeing Al-Hilal two goals down at the interval in the Pro League is almost unheard of. The last time it happened was back in May 2025 against Al-Fateh, when they also trailed 2-0 at the break. That night, they roared back to win 4-3 in a dramatic turnaround.

Now the question hangs over this season’s high-flying side: can they conjure that kind of response again, or will this be the night their flawless start finally unravels?