In a friendly preparatory match held at Al-Hilal's stadium, NEOM FC, one of the Kingdom's ambitious sports projects, achieved a surprising victory over the Saudi Professional League leaders, Al-Hilal, by a score of 2-1. This match comes during the current break in domestic competitions, as both teams seek to maintain player fitness and experiment with new tactical approaches.
Al-Hilal started the match strongly, opening the scoring in the 25th minute through young Brazilian striker Marcos Leonardo, who capitalized on a golden opportunity to put the ball in the net, building on his promising debut with the team. However, Neom FC, which competes in the Yellow League (a first-division league), showed great character and refused to give up, managing to equalize before the end of the first half through a penalty successfully converted by Ahmed Abdo, bringing the game back to square one.
Background of the match and its importance to both teams
This friendly match holds special significance for both clubs, albeit for different reasons. For Al-Hilal, enjoying an exceptional season both domestically and continentally, Portuguese coach Jorge Jesus used the opportunity to give playing time to those who haven't featured regularly, test the squad's depth, and maintain the team's fitness during the break. However, the most notable event was the return of captain Salman Al-Faraj to the starting lineup for the first time since his injury last November – a return eagerly awaited by Al-Hilal fans given his crucial technical and leadership role in midfield.
A moral victory for NEOM and confirmation of the project's ambitions
On the other hand, this victory represents a tremendous morale boost for NEOM FC. Overcoming a team of Al-Hilal's stature, even in a friendly match, is a strong indicator of the seriousness and ambition of the club's project, which is considered the sporting face of the futuristic city of NEOM. The team managed to snatch the precious winning goal in the 80th minute, achieving a historic victory that will enhance the players' confidence and draw more attention to their journey in the First Division League. This victory is not limited to the sporting aspect alone; it also serves the promotional objectives of the NEOM project as a whole, and confirms that investment in the sports sector is an integral part of the Kingdom's Vision 2030.
While Al Hilal prepares to resume its journey towards achieving more titles, Neom continues its journey towards promotion to the top league, carrying with it great ambitions and a symbolic victory over the Asian champion and leader of Saudi football.
