Portugal's record scorer was shown a straight red card four minutes from time for elbowing an opponent when his side were 2-0 down before they scored a late consolation.

A 2-0 victory at fellow Saudi side Al Ittihad saw them surpass the previous record of 27 straight wins by a top-flight team, set by Welsh team The New Saints in 2016.

The former Paris Saint-Germain forward, signed in August for a reported 90 million euros ($94 million), grabbed the second in the record Asian champions' win at the Azadi Stadium

Neymar, signed last month from Paris Saint-Germain for a reported €90 million, was making his first start for the record Asian champions having debuted on Friday as a substitute in the Saudi Pro League victory at home to Al Riyadh.

Aleksandar Mitrovic joined the Premier League exodus to Saudi Arabia by leaving Fulham for a club record fee to join Al Hilal on Saturday.

Flame-throwers and a volley of fireworks lit up the Riyadh sky as the flamboyant forward appeared in Al-Hilal's blue kit at Riyadh's 68,000-capacity King Fahd International Stadium

A rock star welcome will await him at the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh where he will be unveiled before thousands of fans on Saturday.

The 31-year-old Neymar signed a two-year contract with the Riyadh-based club on Tuesday after spending six years with Paris St Germain, in a deal reportedly worth about 90 million euros ($98 million)

Saudi Professional League (SPL) club Al-Hilal announced that Neymar had signed a contract until 2025, with the Brazilian saying, "I am here in Saudi Arabia, I am Hilali" in a video on the team's social media accounts

The Brazil international joined the French champions for 220 million euros ($241m) from Barcelona in 2017

Links of Kylian Mbappe to Real Madrid, rumours of Neymar returning to Barcelona have been the commonalities of the transfer market over the past few years. This summer, however, in addition to the aforementioned sagas, the emergence of one major entity -- the Saudi Pro League -- has taken the transfer market by storm.

Paris Saint-Germain striker Kylian Mbappe has refused to meet officials from Al Hilal, dealing a potentially fatal blow to the Saudis' ambitious hopes of completing a world record 300-million-euro ($333 million) swoop.

The four-times Asian Champions League winners said Koulibaly's contract would run until 2026 without giving any financial details. British media reported that the Saudi club would pay around 17 million pounds ($21.61 million) for the centre back

With beIN Sports’ Khaled Waleed also tweeting that this is the same individual with whom FC Barcelona are reportedly interested in capturing, it has been suggested that the player in question is Paris Saint-Germain forward Neymar.

Dinner, drinks and a selfie with Lionel Messi sounds like every football fan's dream, but Chinese police have warned it's just one of numerous scams surrounding his visit to Beijing.

Lionel Messi is reportedly expected to sign for Saudi Club Al Hilal in a historic deal, with the club's officials currently in Paris, Saudi Gazette reported on Sunday.

Saudi Arabia and Al-Hilal defender Ali Al-Bulayhi joked he is afraid Lionel Messi will ask for his departure if the Argentine forward joins the Saudi club, after an argument with him during a World Cup match last year.

Al-Hilal president Fahd Bin Nafel refused to comment on the possibility of signing Lionel Messi, insisting his Saudi Arabian side is "more important than just one player", as fans clamour for the World Cup winner.

Lionel Messi’s future destination may be making headlines all around the globe, but the latest transfer saga in the world of football has followed the same half-baked pattern of transfer sagas in the past.

Argentine superstar Lionel Messi will play in Saudi Arabia next season under a "huge" deal, a source close to the negotiations told AFP on Tuesday.