NEOM Club Kicks Off Their Journey with a Convincing Victory

The NEOM football team began their campaign in the “Yellow League” for first-class clubs with an important 2-0 victory over their hosts, Abha, in the first round of the tournament. The match took place at the Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Sports City Stadium in Mahalla.

NEOM secured their win with two first-half goals, scored by Muhannad Al Saeed in the 21st minute and Brazilian star Romarinho in the 42nd minute. This victory marked an impressive start for the newly promoted team in the “Yellow League,” earning them their first 3 points of the season against a team that was relegated to the First Division and is eager to return to the Roshn Saudi League.

Brazilian coach Pericles Chamusca, leading NEOM, fielded a starting lineup that featured several players with extensive experience in the Saudi Roshn League, including former Al-Hilal captain Salman Al-Faraj, Brazilian forward Romarinho, and Egyptian defender Ahmed Hegazy, both former stars of Al-Ittihad.

Muhannad Al Saeed opened the scoring for NEOM with a powerful shot from outside the penalty area in the 21st minute. The team continued to apply pressure, and in the 42nd minute, Romarinho capitalized on a critical mistake by Abha goalkeeper Abdul Rahman Al-Bouq, who mishandled the ball, allowing Romarinho to easily slot it into an empty net. This was Romarinho’s first goal for his new team.

In the second half, both coaches, Tunisian Abdel Razek Chebbi for Abha and Pericles Chamusca for NEOM, made several substitutions. Chebbi aimed to close the gap and possibly secure a draw, while Chamusca focused on maintaining NEOM’s lead.

Despite Abha’s efforts, they were unable to stage a comeback, thanks to the solid performance of NEOM’s defense and their goalkeeper, Mustafa Malaika.

In the upcoming second round, Abha will visit Al Arabi next Tuesday, while NEOM will host Al Jabalain on the same day.