On a historic night that Al-Najma fans will never forget, the team achieved its first ever victory in the Saudi Professional League, after defeating its guest Al-Kholoud 2-1, in the match that brought them together on Saturday evening at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Buraidah, as part of the twenty-second round of the tournament.
Felipe Cardoso opened the scoring in the 21st minute of the first half, capitalizing on a well-organized counter-attack to put the ball in the net despite Al-Kholoud's early dominance of possession. In the second half, Al-Najma extended their lead with a second goal, scored by French player Bilal Boutouba in the 56th minute, after a brilliant individual effort and a precise shot that nestled into the right corner of Al-Kholoud's net.
Al-Kholoud tried to get back into the game and intensified their attacks, but they were thwarted by the brilliance of Al-Najma's goalkeeper, Brazilian Victor Braga, who saved his goal from several clear-cut chances. Before the end of the match, Al-Kholoud managed to reduce the deficit with a penalty kick in stoppage time (90+2), successfully converted by Argentine striker Ramiro Enrique , but it wasn't enough to avoid defeat.
Historical context and the importance of the victory for the star
This victory comes as a bright spot in an extremely difficult season for Al-Najma, who were promoted to the professional league for the first time in their history this year. After 21 rounds of setbacks and negative results, this win has given the team and its fans a long-awaited glimmer of hope, breaking a long streak of defeats. The impact of this victory is not limited to the three points; it represents a huge morale boost for the players and coaching staff as they continue their fight to remain in the top flight.
The impact of the result on the relegation battle in the Roshan League
With this result, Al-Najma raised their points tally to 8, and although they remain at the bottom of the standings, they narrowed the gap with the teams above them, thus igniting the relegation battle. On the other hand, Al-Kholoud's points total remained at 19, leaving them in thirteenth place, a blow to their efforts to escape the relegation zone. This result underscores the highly competitive nature of the Roshan League this season, where there are no easy matches, and teams at the bottom of the table can pull off upsets against those ranked higher, adding to the excitement and drama of the remaining rounds of the competition.
