Al-Hilal's 47-game unbeaten run in the Saudi league shattered by a home loss

RIYADH, Sept 8 (AP): Al-Hilal's 47-game unbeaten run in the Saudi Pro League ended after a 2-0 home loss to Neom on Monday. It was the first league defeat for coach Simone Inzaghi, who arrived from Inter Milan in June 2025, and it also stopped Al-Hilal's perfect start of five wins in five matches this season. Inzaghi selected all three of his high-profile attackers, signed this summer from Premier League clubs, for a combined fee reportedly exceeding $200 million. Brazil international Gabriel Martinelli made his first start since arriving in Riyadh from Arsenal on Thursday, four days after former Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins joined. Cyrenscio Summerville signed for the 19-time Saudi champion in July from West Ham. Despite that firepower, Al-Hilal failed to hit the target for the first time this season and fell behind after 15 minutes when former Chelsea defender Kalidou Koulibaly scored an own goal. Ivory Coast midfielder Amadou Kone added the second just before halftime. Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr can level with league leader Al-Hilal on points with a win on Thursday against Abha. 'We achieved a major feat and came away with a great result. I am extremely happy with what the team produced,' Galtier said at the post-match press conference. 'We entered the game with the right mentality, and I asked the players to make things difficult for Al-Hilal throughout the match. Games like this require some luck, and we got it today. I hope this victory gives us an additional boost and raises our ambitions for the coming period,' he added.