Al Hilal football team have set a world record by winning its 28th consecutive game in all competitions with a 2-0 win over Al Ittihad on Tuesday night. The run includes 16 in the Saudi league, three in the domestic cup and nine in the Asian Champions League. Portuguese coach Jorge Jesus hailed the "incredible achievement", but insists that winning trophies is what really matters.

The achievement came after beating Jeddah's Al Ittihad in the AFC Champions League, breaking the previous record of 27 wins set by Wales' The New Saints in the 2016-17 season.

The honour of being the most successful team in football history didn't last long for the English side, especially when compared to their predecessors. Dutch giants Ajax held the title for 44 years after winning 26 in a row between 1971 and 1972, with the brilliant Cruyff at the helm.

This surpasses some of the world's great multiple champions, including Ajax, which achieved a streak of 25 consecutive wins. FC Bayern managed to win 23, Real Madrid reached 22 and Manchester City won 21 matches in a row.

Al Hilal, founded on 16 October 1957, remains unbeaten in the current campaign and is 12 points clear at the top of the Roshn Saudi League. It has also reached the semi-finals of the King Cup and the AFC Champions League.

The team began to build its world-record run on 25 September and has enjoyed some remarkable victories during the 28-match run, including a 3-0 Riyadh derby triumph last December with Cristiano Ronaldo in the starting line-up.

Jorge Jesus said: "Everyone at Al Hilal is delighted to be making history in world football by winning 28 consecutive matches. This is truly an incredible achievement and I would like to thank everyone at the club for their part in this ground-breaking winning record: the president, the board of directors, the players, my staff and the fans."

"As I've always said, records are not as important as trophies. It's up to everyone at Al Hilal to make sure that we finish the season as Saudi league champions and achieve our goals in the cup competitions. Only then can we really celebrate," concluded the 69-year-old Portuguese coach after seeing off Marcelo Gallardo's side. 

Second-half goals from Saudi left-back Yasser Al Shahrani, who made his 400th appearance for the club, and Brazilian striker Malcolm gave Al Hilal a 2-0 win over Al Ittihad on the night to seal a 4-0 aggregate victory to book a place in the quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League. 

Al Hilal equalled the Welsh side's world record with a 3-1 win over Al Riyadh in the Roshn Saudi League on Friday, and now have everything they need to add to their tally.

Al Hilal's 28-match winning streak is perhaps all the more remarkable given that it has been achieved largely without the presence of Brazilian starlet Neymar, who joined the club in the summer but was sidelined with an injury in October, playing just two games during the run. 

Jesus, who won the Portuguese league three times as Benfica coach, said: "Losing Neymar to injury was a big blow, but our team has recovered brilliantly. Everyone in the team has contributed so far this season, from our other key internationals to the talented Saudi Arabian players. It's been a real team effort. 

"However, I reiterate that what is important now is for the team to continue to work hard towards our goal of winning trophies this season. That's the most important thing for Al Hilal," he concluded.