Saudi giants Al Hilal delivered a stunning 5-0 win over Iraq’s Al Shorta in the AFC Champions League Elite at the Prince Faisal Bin Fahd Stadium on Tuesday, marking their second consecutive victory in the competition.
Goals from Marcos Leonardo and Aleksandar Mitrovic gave the Saudi side a 2-0 lead at halftime, with Salem Al Dawsari, Nasser Al Dawsari, and Mohammed Kanno rounding off the emphatic win in the second half.
Al Hilal Dominate First Half
The home team quickly took control of the game, showing dominance from the start with sharp passing and movement. Marcos Leonardo opened the scoring in the 11th minute, finishing after Mitrovic redirected a cross from Ruben Neves. The ball reached Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, whose shot was saved by Al Shorta goalkeeper Ahmed Basil Fadhili. Leonardo capitalized on the rebound, confidently putting it into the net with precision.
Just four minutes later, Aleksandar Mitrovic extended the lead with a strong header from Renan Lodi’s set-piece delivery. This powerful goal put Al Hilal 2-0 ahead, boosting their confidence. Al Shorta struggled to respond, missing key opportunities to narrow the deficit before halftime. Their best chance came in the 27th minute when Boubacar Moumouni failed to convert a header from an Ahmed Yahia cross. Al Shorta created another opportunity in the 42nd minute, but Hussein Ali’s shot narrowly missed the target, keeping the score unchanged.
Lodi’s cross meets Mitro’s head to score our second ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/brDVg9gEVu
— AlHilal Saudi Club (@Alhilal_EN) October 1, 2024
Al Hilal’s Second-Half Surge
Al Hilal started the second half strongly, with Salem Al Dawsari scoring two minutes after the restart from Mitrovic’s assist. Despite Al Shorta’s attempts to respond, including two shots by substitute Mohanad Ali, they failed to penetrate Al Hilal’s defense. Al Hilal came close to scoring a fourth goal in the 70th minute, when Leonardo found the net, but VAR ruled it offside. However, Al Hilal soon increased their lead when Joao Cancelo assisted Nasser Al Dawsari for a composed finish in the 73rd minute. Mohammed Kanno added the fifth goal late on, completing the dominant 5-0 victory for the Riyadh powerhouse.
Perfect Week for Saudi Clubs
Al Hilal’s triumph capped off a perfect week for Saudi teams in the AFC Champions League. Al Nassr and Al Ahli also secured victories, making it a clean sweep for Saudi clubs on Matchday 2. Al Hilal, the defending champions, extended their winning streak to nine matches across all competitions.
Al Hilal will face Al Ain on Matchday Three, while Al Shorta takes on Pakhtakor. With back-to-back wins, Al Hilal looks poised for another deep run in the tournament.
