Right, so... Al Najma have only gone and done it. 2-1 at home to NEOM. I know. I KNOW. Scroll back up and read that again if you need to. The team sitting 18th in the Saudi Pro League, 2 wins from 28 games this season, have just beaten an eighth-placed side. Absolute scenes. This is why we watch football, mate. This is exactly why.
Look, let's put this in context. Al Najma came into this with 11 points from 28 matches. A record of 2 wins, 5 draws, and 21 losses. A goal difference of -40. That is a rough, rough season. NEOM meanwhile are sitting on 39 points, 11 wins to their name, and have been perfectly decent away from home this year. Six wins from 15 away games. Solid. Not spectacular, but solid. You would have taken a NEOM win here without thinking twice. And then... football happened.
| Al Najma (Home) | 2 |
| NEOM (Away) | 1 |
| Referee | K. Al Ahmari |
Honestly, I want to be careful here because the overall numbers for Al Najma this season are not pretty. 27 goals scored, 67 conceded across 28 games. A goal difference of -40. Bottom of the table. No sugarcoating that. But here is the thing... they have been weirdly hard to beat on the road this season in terms of not losing. And today, on home turf? They found something. Sometimes a team just decides enough is enough and you cannot predict when that day is coming. Today was that day.
| League Position | 18th |
| Points | 11 from 28 games |
| Season Record | W2 D5 L21 |
| Goals Scored | 27 |
| Goals Conceded | 67 |
| Goal Difference | -40 |
Listen, NEOM will be frustrated. And fairly so. Look at the fixtures and look at their away record this season... 6 wins, 4 draws, 5 losses from 15 away games. That is a better away record than a lot of mid-table sides. Twenty-one goals scored away from home this season. They travel well. Or at least they did before today. Coming to face the bottom side and leaving with nothing? That stings. Their recent form was LWWDL coming into this one, so it is not like they have been flying either. This result is going to hurt their push for a stronger second half to the season.
| League Position | 8th |
| Points | 39 from 29 games |
| Season Record | W11 D6 L12 |
| Away Record | W6 D4 L5 (15 played) |
| Away Goals Scored | 21 |
| Away Goals Conceded | 20 |
| Recent Form | L W W D L |
Right, I am not going to sit here and tell you Al Najma are suddenly safe. They are not. 11 points, bottom of the table, relegation is very much the reality they are staring at. But... and this is a big but... they have now got 2 wins on the season and both of them matter enormously for confidence. A crowd seeing their team win at home? That changes something. Even if it is just for one afternoon. That feeling in the stadium today, the limbs, the madness... you cannot put a number on that. Sometimes a result like this buys a team belief at exactly the moment they need it most. Whether they can turn that into more points, well, that is the question.
NEOM have the individual quality and the points on the board to move on from this. Thirty-nine points and sitting eighth, they are not in crisis. But a defeat to the bottom side always raises questions and their home form has been a problem all season too... 5 wins, 2 draws, and 7 losses at home. There is an inconsistency to this NEOM side that keeps them from being a genuine top-half force. They need to sort that out. As for Al Najma? I'm not calling the great escape just yet. I'm really not. The gap between 11 points and safety is enormous. But today? Today was theirs. And nobody can take it away from them. Don't @ me for saying this but... you heard it here first... the vibes are slightly less terrible in the Al Najma camp tonight.
Back to the drawing board on my pre-match acca though. Said nothing of the sort, did I. Onwards.