AFC Champions League Elite: Leonardo earns Al-Hilal Win as Holder Al-Ahli Draws

Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal achieved a late 3-2 victory over Uzbeek host Nasaf to maintain his perfect start of the competition phase of the Asian Champions League elite on Monday as champion Al-Ahli Drew 2-2 with Al-Duhail in Doha.

Qatar’s al-Gharafa won a 2-0 win against Al-Shorta from Iraq, and Iran’s tractor with Al-Wahda of the United Arab Emirates in the second round of competition phase matches of the continental championship.

Al-Hilal needed a winner of the 79th minute from Marcos Leonardo in Qarshi to go to six points from the first two games after he had been fed back twice by the resilient home team.

Sergej Milinkovic-Savic posted Al-Hilal Vooruit in the 21st minute when he used an error from goalkeeper AbduVoozrijthid Nemetov, but Sardorbek Bakhromov was leveled six minutes later with a drive in the upper corner.

The stumbling run by Theo Hernandez brought him two minutes through the defense in the first half of the stop time before the former AC Milan-Man lifted an agile finish on Nemetov to restore the Al-Hilal lead.

Javokhir Sidikov again leveled the hour after completing Yassine Bounou, which would hit Leonardo the winner with a first finish after the perfect pass from Milinkovic-Savic.

«It was a good game at a difficult pitch,» said Al-Hilal defender Kalidou Koulibaly.

«We knew that this team had made it difficult for Al-Ahli in the first match; we knew it was a dangerous team. We scored twice, but they came back twice, so it was difficult. But in the end we scored the third goal and it was an important victory today,» he added.

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Al-Ahli shared the points in a saw match against Al-Duhail, with the Saudi side of Matthias Jaissle initially lagging behind a 25th minute Edmilson Junior goal.

Matheus Goncalves went off in the 42nd minute when he defeated a replacement goalkeeper Bautista Burke at his nearby post, and Riyad Mahrez struck four minutes later when he punished a bad attempt to approve the Argentinian keeper.

But Krzysztof Piatek’s header Three minutes in the second half, Al-Duhail earned his first point of the competition phase, while Al-Ahli goes to four points after he had previously won his opener against Nasaf.

Former Real Madrid striker Joselu sent Al-Gharafa on the way to victory over Iraq’s al-Shorta in Doha when he entered the second half in the second half.

Ferjani Sassi added the second when he rose unmarked to go past Ahmed Basil to ensure that the Qatari club took its first victory of the campaign after he had lost Sharjah FC earlier in the month.

The first eight finishers in the 12-team League phase in both West and East Asia will continue to the knockout rounds of March, with the quarterfinals, semi-final and final that will be played in Saudi Arabia at the end of April.

Published on September 30, 2025