Al-Hilal have claimed a narrow 1-0 victory over second-division outfit Al-Jabalain in the King Cup’s round of 32 on Monday.
The Blues have been on a downward spiral in the last couple of weeks after suffering back-to-back draws due to below-par performances.
A number of players led by Neymar have been the subject of criticism with recent reports confirming the Brazilian’s fallout with head coach Jorge Jesus.
As a result, the 31-year-old winger along with his countryman Michael were excluded by Jesus from their travelling squad to face Al-Jabalain in the King’s Cup as the Portuguese manager made changes in personnel.
Summer-arrival Ruben Neves was restored to the starting XI after getting dropped in their 1-1 draw against Damac last week.
Meanwhile, Serbian goal machine Aleksandar Mitrovic continued to lead Al-Hilal’s frontline with Salem Al-Dawsari and Malcom occupying the wings.
The visitors had a shaky start to the game and failed to create any real threat on Al-Jabalain’s goal inside the opening 45 minutes.
However, it was Neves who made the difference for Al-Hilal as the former Wolves midfielder unleashed a powerful strike from distance to give his side the lead after 63 minutes.
Al-Hilal thought they doubled their advantage ten minutes with Al-Dawsari finding the back of the net but his goal was ruled out for a handball on Sergej Milinkovic-Savic in the build-up after a brief VAR review.
The victory could be a morale booster for Al-Hilal and Jesus, who has been under immense pressure after their recent performances.
The record Asian champions are now set to face Yannick Carrasco’s Al-Shabab in their next Saudi Pro League game on Friday, September 29th.