BURAYDA, Saudi Arabia (Interstat) — Al Najma opened its Saudi Pro League season with a 2-1 victory over NEOM SC on Saturday at Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Stadium.

The match defied a pregame projection that favored the visitors. Mohammed Saleh opened the scoring for the hosts in the 43rd minute, but received a red card in first-half stoppage time. NEOM SC’s Bilal Boutobba equalized four minutes later. Substitute Amadou Koné secured the win for Al Najma in the 56th minute, scoring the decisive goal and assisting on the first. Koné and teammate Ahmed Hegazy, along with NEOM SC’s Abdulaziz Al Harabi, received yellow cards.

The result gives Al Najma a winning start to the campaign across all competitions, while NEOM SC begins with a loss.