The 32-year-old Brazil forward came on for the injured Nasser Al-Dawsari in the 77th minute on Monday night with his team leading 5-3 thanks to Salem Al-Dawsari's hat-trick and goals from Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Renan Lodi.
He then came close to scoring after a counter-attack late on, before Al-Ain pulled one back in added time with a penalty from Soufiane Rahimi, who also bagged a hat-trick.
Al-Hilal survived a lengthy additional time where their rivals pushed for an equaliser and remain top of the west Asian standings after three rounds of the league phase.
The reigning Saudi Pro League champions also lead the league standings with 21 points.
Welcome back, Neymar ♥��— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽� (@CBSSportsGolazo) The 32-year-old Brazilian returns to the pitch 12 months after suffering an ACL tear ⚽ pic.twitter.com/clVdcXNs85October 21, 2024
"I feel good, it's so hard. I always have a good team. But I'm so happy. I'm back," said an emotional Neymar after the game at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium.
Neymar had not played for a year after suffering a cruciate knee ligament injury during Brazil's World Cup qualifier against Uruguay. He underwent surgery last November.
Having moved to Saudi Arabia from French champions Paris Saint-Germain for a reported 90 million euros ($A146 million) transfer fee in August last year, Neymar had only played five games before his layoff as he was struggling with muscle injuries.
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