Expectations were high for Neymar during his time at Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia, but so far the Brazilian maestro appears to be struggling to find his feet. For those who hoped to see the Brazilian National Team’s now all-time top scorer shine in the Saudi Pro League, the disappointment persists.
This afternoon, facing Damac, the 15th in the Saudi championship, Al Hilal and his host of stars were held to a score of 1-1. This is the third consecutive match with his new team that Neymar has failed to score, a statistic which is starting to raise questions in the Middle East.
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How was the match
Number 10 on his back, Neymar started and played the entire 90 minutes of the match, but his performance did not live up to his fame. The Brazilian struggled to stand out and influence his team’s play.
The other Brazilian in sight during this match was Malcom, whose goal was the only ray of sunshine in a rather dull encounter. Malcom opened the scoring for Al Hilal in the 8th minute of the first half. However, Damac equalized in the 22nd minute of the second half thanks to a goal from Stanciu, forcing Al Hilal to settle for a draw. A poor performance could cost Jorge Jesus’ team dearly in the title race.
Malcom scores his 6th goal of the #RoshnSaudiLeague season for Al Hilal 🙌#yallaRSL pic.twitter.com/YgBHydJOWF
— Roshn Saudi League (@SPL_EN) September 21, 2023
Indeed, Al Hilal, with this result, perhaps retains its leading position in the Saudi championship as the only undefeated team, with a total of 17 points. However, this position is under threat as Al Ittihad will play Al Fateh later today and could overtake Al Hilal if they win.
One question remains: will Neymar finally manage to establish himself as a major player within Al Hilal? Without a doubt.
Just give it time.
