Al-Hilal's perfect start to the Saudi Pro League season came to a surprise end on Monday after they were beaten 2-0 by NEOM at Kingdom Arena. 

Kalidou Koulibaly's own goal was followed up by Amadou Kone's strike late in the first half, helping Christophe Galtier's side move up to fourth in the early-season standings. 

Gabriel Martinelli, on his first start for Al-Hilal since his £60.1m switch from Arsenal, called NEOM goalkeeper Marcin Bulka into action after just 55 seconds. 

NEOM proved to be a threat, with Alexandre Lacazette stinging the palms of Mohammed Al Owais before they took the lead in the 15th minute when Muhannad Al Saad's shot was headed into his own net by Koulibaly as he attempted to clear.

Al-Hilal struggled to carve out any clear-cut opportunities from there, and they fell further behind on the stroke of half-time. Lacazette's header from a corner struck the crossbar, with the rebound falling kindly for Kone to turn home from close range.

The hosts piled on the pressure after the break, and only a stunning close-range stop from Bulka denied Al-Hilal captain Mohamed Kanno from finding the back of the net.

Bulka came to NEOM's rescue again when he thwarted Ollie Watkins twice in quick succession, with Haroune Camara almost netting a third for the visitors late on, only to see his shot repelled at the near post by Al Owais at the end of a blistering counter-attack. 

Mohamed Meite's header flicked off the woodwork in stoppage time, but it proved to be one of those days for Al-Hilal, who left the door ajar for the chasing pack to pounce. 

Sensational Sarr helps end Al-Hilal's unbeaten home streak

Coming into the match, no team had scored more goals in the league this season than Al-Hilal's 17, but their attack was blunted by NEOM's stern defensive rearguard, with Bulka key to their shutout after making five important saves.

Al-Hilal were able to generate an expected goals (xG) total of 1.74 from their 20 attempts, but were missing that clinical edge. Watkins led the team for shots (five), shots on target (three) and touches in the opposition box (eight), but he was unable to add to his debut goal. 

But NEOM must be commended for their disciplined defensive display, with Malang Sarr the standout in their backline. He finished with team-high totals for tackles won (two), clearances (10) and possession won (seven), while only Mohannad Abu Taha (four) made more interceptions than his three. 

It was a result that also saw Al-Hilal's 23-match unbeaten run at Kingdom Arena come to an end, with their last such defeat coming against Al-Khaleej in April 2025. 

Al-Hilal remain top of the league after six games, but Al-Nassr and Al-Qadsiah, who play Abha and Al-Ahli respectively later this week, have the chance to draw level on 15 points with Simone Inzaghi's side.