"Neymar is the problem"; "Sell your club please" - Fans left disappointed as Al-Hilal play out 1-1 draw with Damac in SPL fixture
Football fans were left disappointed after Neymar's Al-Hilal were held to a 1-1 draw with Damac away from home yesterday (September 21).
Despite leading the Saudi Pro League table with 16 points from six games, Al-Hilal dropped points for the second time this week, having drawn 1-1 against Navbahor Namangan in the AFC Champions League on September 18.
Al-Hilal got off to the perfect start, with summer signing Malcom scoring in the ninth minute. The away team had full control of the ball in the first half, but could not double their advantage.
Neymar brilliantly set up Aleksandar Mitrovic in the 54th minute, but the latter was unable to convert. Nicolae Stanciu then leveled the scores in the 68th minute via a free-kick, securing an important three points for 15th-placed Damac.
Neymar had a poor outing for his high standards and was given a rating of just 6.1 by FotMob. The €90 million summer signing from PSG failed to have any shots on target, missed one big chance, and made zero successful dribbles. Moreover, the Brazilian icon lost all four of his ground duels and lost four further duels.
In view of this, football fans slammed his performance on X (formerly Twitter) with one fan posting:
"Neymar is the Problem."
Another fan wrote:
"Sell your club please."
Here are a few more reactions from football fans:
"What a shame and prefer to dismiss the coach, this is not Al Hilal anymore."
"Al Hilal was a disaster in the match. We hope the coach will fix the mistakes."
Jorge Jesus and Co. are now second in the SPL with 17 points, one point behind Al-Ittihad. They will next face Al-Jabalain in the Round of 32 of the King Cup of Champions on September 25.
Damac vs. Neymar's Al-Hilal: Exploring the stats from Saudi Pro League clash
Damac were able to hold Neymar's Al-Hilal to an impressive 1-1 draw in the Saudi Pro League yesterday (September 21). Let us take a look at the stats to see how both teams performed.
Jorge Jesus's men dominated possession with 56% of the ball. They also completed 512 passes with an accuracy of 85%. On the other hand, Damac had 44% possession and completed 413 passes with an accuracy of 82%.
Despite Al-Hilal having more of the ball, it was Damac who looked more of a threat in front of the goal. The latter had a total of 14 shots, with four being on target. In contrast, the away side had 10 shots with just two being on target.