Al-Shamal Stun Al-Hilal 3-1 in AFC Champions League Elite as Riyad Mahrez Provides Two Assists
Al-Shamal beat Al-Hilal 3-1 at Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor on October 27 to claim their first AFC Champions League Elite win and hand the Saudi side their first defeat of the league phase.
The Qatari club, who are playing in the competition for the first time, started well. Wesley Said put them ahead in the eighth minute with a low shot into the bottom corner. Al-Hilal, who were without four injured players, responded quickly. Salem Al-Dawsari equalised on the counter-attack in the 32nd minute, finishing after a driving run down the left by Theo Hernandez. It was Al-Dawsari's first goal for Al-Hilal this season after his recovery from injury.
Al-Shamal came out strongly in the second half. Baghdad Bounedjah restored the lead in the 48th minute from a pass by Riyad Mahrez. Six minutes later, Mahrez swung in a free-kick, and Tunisian midfielder Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane headed it into the net to make it 3-1. Mahrez finished the night with two assists in his first continental appearance for the club.
Al-Hilal, coached by Simone Inzaghi, could not find a way back and were noticeably short of strength. The defeat is only their second of the season in all competitions, having also lost 2-0 to Neom in the Saudi Pro League.
The win is a big moment for Al-Shamal. They had drawn their first two games of the competition, against Al-Ittihad and Iran's Tractor. They now have five points and sit sixth in the West Region standings, a point behind Al-Hilal. Al-Hilal remain on six points in fifth place, with two wins and one defeat from their first three matches.
The top eight clubs in each 16-team regional league phase progress to the knockout rounds. The quarter-finals, semi-finals and final will be played in Saudi Arabia in April and May. The league phase has eight matchdays, so each of the two teams has five matches left to play.
Al-Shamal's result was also one of the highlights of a busy third matchday in the competition. It follows Al-Ittihad's late win over Neftchi and Al-Ain's third straight victory on Monday.