Al-Hilal's Struggles in Roshn League After Bounou Injury

Al-Hilal’s perfect start to the Roshn League season cracked before a ball was even kicked.

On a tense night against Neom, the first and most decisive blow came in the warm-up. Yassine Bounou, the Moroccan pillar behind Al-Hilal’s flawless opening to the campaign, pulled up injured and could not continue. In an instant, Simone Inzaghi’s plans were shredded.

Mohammed Al-Owais was told to get ready. No easing in, no mental preparation over the week. Just a late shout, the gloves, and the weight of a title contender on his shoulders.

It showed.

A nightmare opening

Al-Hilal never settled. With Bounou out and Al-Owais thrown in, the back line lost its calm. Passes were rushed, clearances snatched at. Neom sensed the unease and went straight for the throat, pressing high and asking questions of a defence that suddenly looked unsure of itself.

The pressure told early.

In the 15th minute, Kalidou Koulibaly, usually the rock at the heart of Al-Hilal’s defence, turned tormentor. Attempting to deal with a dangerous ball, the Senegalese defender mistimed his header and diverted it into his own net. Neom led, Al-Hilal stared at each other in disbelief, and Al-Owais’ first real involvement was picking the ball out of his goal.

The timing could hardly have been worse. Al-Hilal were still reeling from the shock of losing Bounou when Koulibaly’s own goal cut even deeper. Inzaghi suddenly found himself chasing a game against opponents who had arrived with confidence and now had something even more valuable: a lead to protect.

Al-Owais falters, Neom pounce

The defensive wobble never really stopped. Al-Hilal’s back line, usually so composed, looked fragmented. Neom kept coming, feeding off every loose touch and every hesitant movement in front of Al-Owais.

Just before the break, the crisis worsened.

In the 44th minute, Al-Owais rushed off his line in a desperate attempt to snuff out danger. He mistimed it. The ball broke loose, chaos followed, and with Al-Hilal’s defence in disarray inside their own area, Amadou Koné reacted fastest. He struck, and Neom doubled their lead.

Two goals down, both born from individual errors and collective panic. Bounou’s absence had turned from a setback into a full-blown problem. Al-Owais, thrust into the spotlight, could not provide the same authority, while the Koulibaly-led defence handed Neom exactly the platform they needed.

Neom’s ruthless record, Al-Hilal’s rare struggle

An Opta statistic underlined the scale of the task facing Al-Hilal. Across the first five rounds of the Roshn League, Neom had won every match in which they scored first. Three times they had taken the lead. Three times they had closed the door.

Now they were 2-0 up against the league leaders.

For a side that had stormed into the sixth round with five wins from five and 15 points in the bank, this was unfamiliar territory. Neom were not just another opponent; they were a team built to protect an advantage, and Al-Hilal had handed them a two-goal cushion.

Seeing Al-Hilal trail 0-2 at half-time in the Pro League is a rarity. The last time they went into the break two or more goals down came against Al-Fateh in May 2025. That night, they roared back from the same scoreline to win 4-3 in a wild, breathless comeback.

The question now is whether this version of Al-Hilal, bruised by Bounou’s injury and undone by their own mistakes, still has that same defiance when the margin for error at the top of the Roshn League is shrinking by the week.