AFC Champions League Elite: Al-Hilal defeats Al-Gharafa to maintain a perfect record

Al-Hilal secured a 2-1 victory over Qatar’s Al-Gharafa in Doha on Monday as the Saudi Pro League side continued its perfect start to the western competition phase of the Asian Champions League Elite.

A Salem Al-Dawsari header in the ninth minute sent Simone Inzaghi’s side on their way to victory, with the Al-Hilal captain nodding home from the right line into Joao Cancelo’s clipped centre.

Kaio Cesar doubled the visitors’ lead in the 66th minute when he beat Khalifa Ababacar from distance, while Ayoub Al-Ouwi’s strike in the 97th minute was not enough to prevent Al-Hilal from recording a fourth straight victory.

The win moves Al-Hilal to 12 points, two points ahead of second-placed Al-Wahda of the United Arab Emirates in the 12-team standings. The top eight finishers in the competition stage will advance to the March knockout rounds.

Qatar’s Al-Duhail claimed their first win in the competition with a 4-1 thrashing of Paulo Sousa’s previously unbeaten Shabab Al-Ahli, with Edmilson Junior setting his side up for victory with a brilliant early strike.

The Belgian-born Qatar international burst down the left before cutting inside to bend a right-footed strike into the top corner with two minutes on the clock.

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Benjamin Bourigeaud smashed home a second from 25 yards six minutes before half-time, although Breno Cascardo’s header halved the deficit three minutes later.

But an emphatic 57th-minute strike from Adil Boulbina restored Al-Duhail’s two-goal cushion, with Luis Alberto sealing the win two minutes into extra time.

Al-Wahda needed an 89th-minute header from substitute Caio Canedo to win 2-1 against Uzbekistan’s Nasaf in Qarshi, as the UAE side fought back to claim a third win of the campaign.

Nasaf had taken the lead in the 43rd minute through Sardorbek Bakhromov’s perfectly struck curling attempt from 20 yards out, but Al-Wahda equalized through Favor Ogbu’s header seven minutes into the second half.

The match appeared to be heading for a draw until Caio struck from close range to head in the winner after goalkeeper Abduvohid Nematov had saved Mohammad Ghorbani’s initial effort.

Iranian side Tractor FC, meanwhile, moved up to third place as Dragan Skocic’s side recorded a narrow 1-0 win over Iraq’s Al-Shorta, with Mehdi Torabi scoring the only goal of the match in the 26th minute.

Published on November 4, 2025