Maradona-esque goal, Nieves's message and Inzaghi's revenge: iconic Al-Hilal win in the elite Joy League

Revenge for Inzaghi

With this, Al-Hilal's youngsters avenged the first team, who slumped to a surprise defeat against Neom last Monday at the Kingdom Arena in the Saudi capital Riyadh, in the sixth round of the Roshn League.

That loss was the first the first team had suffered this season in the Roshn League, and their first in any competition for 47 matches, stretching back to the season before last. It ended a run of 39 games unbeaten under Italian coach Simone Inzaghi.

The defeat prompted reports that Al-Hilal's management, led by sporting director Richard Hughes, were weighing up sacking Inzaghi before the start of the AFC Asian Cup next December.

Maradona-esque goal

Tunisian striker Loued Al-Abidi stole the show, netting Al-Hilal's second and third goals in the 10th and 45th minutes. Ahmed bin Hameed opened the scoring, and Ahmed Hamza added the fourth.

That fourth goal was Maradona-esque. Picking the ball up in midfield, Hamza surged forward, danced past more than one Neom defender and slotted home.

A message to Neves

The goal was not just a thing of technical beauty. It carried a moral message too. Ahmed Hamza wanted to show his support for Portuguese midfielder Ruben Neves, the first-team star, celebrating the strike in his own way.

Neves had endured a difficult moment yesterday, Saturday, during Al-Hilal's 6-0 win over Al-Taawoun in the seventh round of the Saudi Roshn League.

An unfortunate incident marred the match. Some Al-Taawoun fans chanted the name of the late Diogo Jota, the former Liverpool player who died in a tragic accident last year, trying to provoke his Portuguese friend Ruben Neves.

Through his celebration, Hamza set out to console the first-team star and stand in solidarity with him. That gesture keeps the goal among the finest of the Elite Jaw League, on the pitch and off it.