Former Barcelona striker Neymar Jr. has finally opened his account for his new club Al-Hilal.
The Brazilian did so in the Saudi Pro League giants’ 3-0 AFC Champions League win against the Iranian side Nassaji Mazandaran at the Azadi Stadium in Tehran. Al-Hilal opened the scoring in the 18th minute through Serbian striker Aleksandar Mitrovic.
Neymar then joined the party with a spectacular left-footed strike in the 58th minute. Winning the ball in midfield after Nassaji had lost possession, Neymar burst into the opposition box and let loose a rasping drive off his weaker foot into the opposite corner.
That effectively ended the game as a contest and also marked the Brazilian’s first goal for Al-Hilal. Here’s the video of his sumptuous strike:
Following Neymar’s goal, the visitors added another through Saleh Alshehri in the third minute of stoppage time to put a gloss on the scoreline.
With their first win in this season’s AFC Champions League, Al-Hilal moved to the top of their group, ahead of Uzbek side PFC Navbahor Namangan.
How has Neymar fared for Al-Hilal this season?
Brazilian superstar Neymar has made a decent start to life at Saudi Pro League giants Al-Hilal since arriving this summer from Paris Saint-Germain in a move worth €90 million.
After missing four games – all in the Saudi Pro League – due to muscular issues, the 31-year-old made his debut for Al-Za’eem in the 6-1 league win at home to Al-Riyadh.
Coming on with 26 minutes to go, the Brazilian made an instant impact – producing two assists – as Jorge Jesus’ side recorded a resounding win. Three days later, Neymar made his first start in Al-Hilal’s 1-1 home draw with Navbahor in their AFC Champions League opener.
The Brazilian, though, didn’t make a goal contribution in that game and also in his next outing – a 1-1 league draw at Damac FC. Neymar bagged an assist in his side’s 2-0 Saudi Pro League win at home to Al-Shabab before opening his account four days later at Nassaji.
Overall, Neymar now has one goal and three assists in five games across competitions for his new side, having started four times.