Ali Al Bulaihi's equaliser 10 minutes into stoppage time spared Al Hilal's blushes as Neymar made his first start for the Saudi Pro League side in a 1-1 draw with Uzbekistan's Navbahor in the Asian Champions League in Riyadh on Monday.
Saudi Arabia international defender Al Bulaihi rose to meet Brazilian winger Michael's centre to cancel out a Toma Tabatadze strike in the 52nd minute of the Group D meeting that had looked set to earn Samvel Babayan's side an unlikely win.
Neymar, among the headline arrivals in Saudi Arabia over the summer, was included in the starting line-up for the first time since his €90 million move from Paris Saint-Germain but was frustrated throughout the encounter.
The Brazilian looked like he would end up on the losing side until Al Bulaihi's header, which came during more than 14 minutes of injury time, finally put an end to Navbahor's determined resistance against their expensively-assembled opponents.
Only the winners of the 10 groups in the 40-team competition are guaranteed to advance to last 16 and Al Hilal sit behind debutants Nassaji Mazandaran in the early standings.
The Iranians top the group after securing a 2-0 win over India's Mumbai City in Pune through a goal in each half from Ehsan Hosseini and Mohammad Reza Azadi.
Romarinho made the difference as Al Ittihad shrugged off the absence of star man Karim Benzema to cruise to a 3-0 win over Uzbekistan’s AGMK in Jeddah.
Benzema played the full 90 and scored the decisive goal in a 1-0 win over Al Okhdood in the Saudi Pro League last Thursday but missed out on the squad entirely on Monday night.
Romarinho filled the void, however, with two well-taken goals after Haroune Camara had opened the scoring with just 11 minutes on the clock.
Dilshodbek Akhmadaliev coughed up possession cheaply and Camara tucked home the rebound after Muhannad Al Shanqiti’s shot was saved.
Just four minutes later the SPL champions doubled their advantage, Camara this time seeing his effort saved only for Romarinho to follow up.
Camara and Al Shanqiti both went close to adding a third before Akhmadaliev's evening got worse as he gave away a penalty which Romarinho converted to seal a 3-0 lead at half time.
The SPL side continued to dominate after the break with Camara shooting wide in the 75th minute and Saleh Al Amri hitting the crossbar in injury time.
Al Ittihad lead the table after Air Force Club shared a 2-2 draw with Sepahan from Iran, with 19-year-old Ali Jassim scoring twice for the Iraqi side in Erbil.
Meanwhile, Nasaf from Uzbekistan secured a late 1-0 win over Jordan's Al Faisaly to top Group B ahead of Qatar's Al Sadd and Sharjah of the UAE, who shared a 0-0 draw.
in Group C, Kuwait Premier League side Al Arabi got off to a winning start with a 2-1 win against hosts Al Zawraa at the Basra International Stadium.
Mamadou Thiam and Hamza Khabba were on target for the visitors, while Ali Mohsin replied for the Iraqi side.
In Group A, Lebanon’s Al Ahed fought back from a goal down to defeat Al Nahda of Oman 2-1 and Mohammed Yamin's goal gave Palestine's Jabal Al Mukaber a 1-0 win over Syria's Al Futuwa.
In Group D, ACL debutants Nassaji Mazandaran made a winning start as goals from Ehsan Hosseini and Mohammadreza Azadi earned Mehdi Rahmati’s side a 2-0 victory over Mumbai City in Pune.
Fight card
1. Featherweight 66kg: Ben Lucas (AUS) v Ibrahim Kendil (EGY)
2. Lightweight 70kg: Mohammed Kareem Aljnan (SYR) v Alphonse Besala (CMR)
3. Welterweight 77kg:Marcos Costa (BRA) v Abdelhakim Wahid (MAR)
4. Lightweight 70kg: Omar Ramadan (EGY) v Abdimitalipov Atabek (KGZ)
5. Featherweight 66kg: Ahmed Al Darmaki (UAE) v Kagimu Kigga (UGA)
6. Catchweight 85kg: Ibrahim El Sawi (EGY) v Iuri Fraga (BRA)
7. Featherweight 66kg: Yousef Al Husani (UAE) v Mohamed Allam (EGY)
8. Catchweight 73kg: Mostafa Radi (PAL) v Ahmed Abdelraouf of Egypt (EGY)
9. Featherweight 66kg: Jaures Dea (CMR) v Andre Pinheiro (BRA)
10. Catchweight 90kg: Tarek Suleiman (SYR) v Juscelino Ferreira (BRA)
Meydan race card
6pm Dubai Trophy – Conditions(TB) $100,000 (Turf) 1,200m
6.35Dubai Trophy – Conditions(TB) $100,000 (Turf) 1,200m
1,800m
7.10pm Jumeirah Derby Trial – Conditions (TB) $60,000 (T)
1,800m ,400m
7.45pm Al Rashidiya – Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,800m
8.20pm Al Fahidi Fort – Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,400m
8.55pm Dubawi Stakes – Group 3 (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,200m
9.30pm Aliyah – Rated Conditions (TB) $80,000 (D) 2,000m
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
More on Quran memorisation:
The biog
Hobby: Playing piano and drawing patterns
Best book: Awaken the Giant Within by Tony Robbins
Food of choice: Sushi
Favourite colour: Orange
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Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
The specs
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Transmission: 10-speed auto
Power: 300hp
Torque: 420Nm
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