Cairo, Egypt – Al-Hilal of Saudi Arabia has returned to the top of the AFC Champions League standings. This followed their victory over Al-Gharafa of Qatar 2-0.
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Al Hilal visited Al Gharafa at Thani Bin Jassim Stadium. This was part of the fourth round of the AFC Champions League for Elite.
Al-Hilal started the match well, after surprising Al-Gharafa of Qatar with an early goal. This occurred in the ninth minute of the first half.
The goal came after a brilliant cross from João Cancelo on the left wing. After intercepting the ball from an Al Gharafa player, Salem Al-Dawsari met it with a header that found the back of the net.
Al-Hilal continued to deliver a strong performance. They succeeded in scoring the second goal in the 66th minute, through Caio Cesar.
The goal came after a pass from Theo Hernandez to Cesar on the edge of the penalty area. Cesar then unleashed a rocket of a shot that found the back of the Al Gharafa goalkeeper’s net.
In the 90+7th minute, Ayoub Mohammed managed to reduce the deficit for Al Gharafa. He penetrated the penalty area and unleashed a powerful shot that found the back of the net.
Al Gharafa’s goal wasn’t enough. The team needed to score a second goal, but time ran out. Consequently, the match ended with the Saudi team winning 2-1.
The victory raised Al-Hilal’s points tally to 12. This allowed them to reclaim the top spot in the AFC Champions League group stage. Al-Wahda of the UAE had temporarily taken it with their win over Nasaf Qarshi of Uzbekistan.
Meanwhile, Al Gharafa of Qatar’s points tally remained frozen at 3, placing them ninth.
