Drama in Al Hilal

Al Hilal said goodbye... one more time

On a high-tension night at Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, Al Hilal saw its run in the AFC Champions League Elite come to an end. Al Hilal drew 3-3 in a thrilling match against Qatari champions Al Sadd and lost 4-2 on penalties.

Milinkovic-Savic opened the scoring in the 29th minute, Al Dawsari extended the lead in the 55th, and Marcos Leonardo made it 3-1 in the 67th. However, Al Sadd responded with goals from Claudinho (36’), Rafael Mujica (58’), and Roberto Firmino (72’), forcing extra time. In the penalty shootout, Firmino missed for the Qataris, but Benzema and Saimon Bouabre missed for Al Hilal, allowing Akram Afif to seal the victory.

The players put on a fantastic and strong performance, and I congratulate them on this result. Beating Al Hilal was difficult because we were playing against what is considered the strongest team in Asia. Mancini in the-afc.com

The absence of defender Kalidou Koulibaly weighed heavily on the home defense. Al Sadd, already champions of the Qatar Stars League, showed character by coming back three times and advanced to the quarterfinals, where they will face Vissel Kobe of Japan.

Not so easy for Al Ahli

Al Ahli Saudi FC, the defending AFC Champions League Elite titleholder, remains in the competition. In a hard-fought match against Qatar’s Al Duhail the Saudis prevailed 1-0 in extra time thanks to a stunning goal by Riyad Mahrez.

It was a tough match but we managed to overcome it and now we are focusing on the next round. We always strive to give everything we have for the team. Ryan Mahrez

The 35-year-old Algerian executed a masterful direct free kick from outside the box in the 117th minute that left goalkeeper Salah Zakaria with no chance. Prior to that, the match had seen back-and-forth play: Ivan Toney missed a penalty in extra time, saved by Zakaria, while Edouard Mendy shone in the home goal with key saves. Al Duhail hit the post twice and created danger but failed to convert and are out of the AFC Champions League Elite now.

Cover image created with Gemini AI.

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