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Fox Sports
05-03-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Vissel Kobe continues Japan's strong showing as Saudi teams stumble in race for Asian soccer glory
Associated Press Vissel Kobe defeated South Korea's Gwangju FC 2-0 Wednesday to continue Japan's strong showing in the first leg of the AFC Champions League Elite's second round. Vissel's victory followed Yokohama 1-0 win at Shanghai Port while only Kawasaki Frontale prevented the from making it three out of three with a 1-0 loss at Shanghai Shenhua. The second legs take place next week with the winners advancing to the quarterfinal stage, which will take place in Saudi Arabia. Following mixed results from Saudi Arabian clubs, it remains to be seen if all three teams from that country make it through. After Al-Nassr, playing without Cristiano Ronaldo, was held to a 0-0 draw at Esteghlal of Iran earlier in the week, Riyadh rival Al-Hilal lost 1-0 to Pakhtakor of Uzbekistan on Tuesday. Hilal, going for a record fifth win in the competition, fell to a first half strike from Flamarion. Saudi Arabia's third representative, Al-Ahli won 3-1 at Al-Rayyan of Qatar. First half goals from Galeno and Riyad Mahrez put the Jeddah club ahead and while Roger Guedes pulled one back after the break, a late strike from Firas Al-Buraikan gave Al-Ahli a clear advantage going into the second leg. Elsewhere Buriram United of Thailand drew 0-0 with Malaysia's Johor Darul Ta'zim while the game between Al-Sadd of Qatar and Dubai club Al-Wasl ended 1-1. The final will be held in Jeddah on May 4.
Associated Press
05-03-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Vissel Kobe continues Japan's strong showing as Saudi teams stumble in race for Asian soccer glory
Vissel Kobe defeated South Korea's Gwangju FC 2-0 Wednesday to continue Japan's strong showing in the first leg of the AFC Champions League Elite's second round. Vissel's victory followed Yokohama 1-0 win at Shanghai Port while only Kawasaki Frontale prevented the from making it three out of three with a 1-0 loss at Shanghai Shenhua. The second legs take place next week with the winners advancing to the quarterfinal stage, which will take place in Saudi Arabia. Following mixed results from Saudi Arabian clubs, it remains to be seen if all three teams from that country make it through. After Al-Nassr, playing without Cristiano Ronaldo, was held to a 0-0 draw at Esteghlal of Iran earlier in the week, Riyadh rival Al-Hilal lost 1-0 to Pakhtakor of Uzbekistan on Tuesday. Hilal, going for a record fifth win in the competition, fell to a first half strike from Flamarion. Saudi Arabia's third representative, Al-Ahli won 3-1 at Al-Rayyan of Qatar. First half goals from Galeno and Riyad Mahrez put the Jeddah club ahead and while Roger Guedes pulled one back after the break, a late strike from Firas Al-Buraikan gave Al-Ahli a clear advantage going into the second leg. Elsewhere Buriram United of Thailand drew 0-0 with Malaysia's Johor Darul Ta'zim while the game between Al-Sadd of Qatar and Dubai club Al-Wasl ended 1-1. The final will be held in Jeddah on May 4.
The National
05-03-2025
- Sport
- The National
Al Hilal suffer shock defeat in AFC Champions League while Al Ahli prevail in Doha
Saudi Pro League giants Al Hilal suffered a shock first defeat in this season's AFC Champions League Elite as they lost 1-0 to Uzbekistan's Pakhtakor in the first leg of their last-16 clash on Tuesday. Record four-time winners Al Hilal had qualified for the knockout stage as the top team in the west division, registering seven victories and a draw from their eight group matches. However, the Riyadh side were outplayed by hosts Pakhtakor in freezing conditions in Tashkent. The Uzbek side, who sealed a place in the last 16 in the final round of group games, took the lead at JAR Stadium just before the half-hour mark when Brazilian Flamarion finished past Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou. Al Hilal tried valiantly but could not find a way through. They missed the services of Serbian international Aleksandar Mitrovic, who has been missing through injury since the first week of January. Al Hilal now have it all to do as they look to overturn the deficit when the two teams meet in Riyadh in seven days' time. After the win, Pakhtakor manager Pedro Moreira lauded his players for standing up to the challenge posed by one of the strongest teams in Asia. "It was a difficult match. We played a well-organised game against a very strong team. Al Hilal were expected to have more possession than us," Moreira said. "We focused on organising the game properly. We focused more on defence and tried to keep the opponent in the empty zones. We played a fantastic first 30 minutes. Now we have the match in Riyadh. The away match will definitely be even more difficult than today," he added. There were no such troubles for Al Hilal's fellow Saudi side Al Ahli, who defeated Al Rayyan 3-1 in Qatar after goals from Galeno, Riyad Mahrez and Firas Al Buraikan. With the in-form Ivan Toney leading the charge, the Jeddah club struck twice in the first four minutes at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium. Captain Roberto Firmino eased past his marker on the right before floating a cross for Galeno to head home in the 30th minute. Firmino, aiming to add the Asian crown to the Uefa Champions League title he won with Liverpool, was in the thick of things again. This time, the Brazilian rolled an indirect free-kick inside the Al Rayyan penalty area before Mahrez curled high into the hosts' goal. The former Manchester City winger now has netted six times and provided seven assists in this season's competition. Al Rayyan did pull a goal back 19 minutes from time when Roger Guedes scored from a superb right-footed strike. He also rattled the crossbar in injury time. Al Ahli regained a two-goal lead moments later via Al Buraikan's close-range finish. Al Rayyan were then reduced to 10 men when Adam Bareiro was shown a red card following a VAR review. The competition's final stages will be a centralised format staged in Jeddah, with the quarter-finals on April 25 and 26. The semis are set for April 29 and 30 with the final on May 3.
Saudi Gazette
04-03-2025
- Sport
- Saudi Gazette
Al Hilal stumble in Tashkent as Pakhtakor claim first-leg advantage in AFC Champions League Round of 16
Saudi Gazette report TASHKENT — Al Hilal's AFC Champions League hopes suffered a setback on Tuesday as the Saudi giants fell to a 1-0 defeat against Pakhtakor in the first leg of their Round of 16 clash at the JAR Stadium. A first-half goal from Brazilian forward Flamarion proved to be the difference, leaving Al Hilal with a tough task in the return leg in Riyadh next week. Pakhtakor's disciplined performance exposed Al Hilal's recent struggles, with the Saudi Pro League leaders lacking their usual attacking fluency in the absence of star striker Aleksandar Mitrovic. The Uzbek side, determined to make the most of their home advantage, showed greater urgency from the start, settling quickly into the freezing conditions while Al Hilal looked off the pace. The hosts had an early sight of goal in the eighth minute when Brayan Riascos met a cross with a diving header, narrowly missing the target. Al Hilal responded in the 19th minute through Kaio Cesar, who whipped in a dangerous cross, but Marcos Leonardo failed to direct his header on goal from close range. Pakhtakor's pressure paid off in the 29th minute. Riascos found space on the right flank and delivered a low cross that Flamarion expertly guided past Yassine Bounou, catching the Al Hilal defense napping. The goal sent the home crowd into a frenzy and left Al Hilal scrambling for a response. Despite their dominance in the AFC Champions League League Stage, Al Hilal lacked their usual cutting edge, failing to break down a well-organized Pakhtakor defense. Even after Riascos was forced off with an injury before the hour mark, the visitors struggled to capitalize. Their best chance came in the 63rd minute when Sergej Milinkovic-Savic's powerful header sailed just over the bar. Pakhtakor nearly doubled their lead in the 70th minute when Diyor Kholmatov forced Bounou into a smart save, and his follow-up header was heroically cleared off the line by Mohammed Kanno. Al Hilal's last opportunity to rescue a draw arrived five minutes before full-time, but Abdullah Al Hamdan's fierce strike was comfortably gathered by Pakhtakor's goalkeeper Jhonatan. With the narrow defeat, Al Hilal must now produce a strong performance in the return leg at the Kingdom Arena next week to keep their hopes of a record-extending fifth AFC Champions League title alive.
Reuters
04-03-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Al-Hilal suffer surprise Asian Champions League defeat by Pakhtakor
March 4 (Reuters) - Saudi Pro League champions Al-Hilal slipped to a shock 1-0 loss in the first leg of their Asian Champions League Elite last 16 clash with Uzbekistan's Pakhtakor in Tashkent on Tuesday after Brazilian Flamarion scored the only goal. Meanwhile, Al-Ahli netted twice in four first-half minutes through Galeno and Riyad Mahrez on the way to a 3-1 win over Qatari hosts Al-Rayyan ahead of next week's return legs. Pakhtakor squeezed into the knockout rounds with their first win of the league phase in the final round of fixtures and claimed a second victory by beating the four-times champions. The winner came in the 29th minute when Brayan Riascos outmuscled Ali Al-Bulayhi on the right before whipping a low cross towards the six-yard box that Flamarion stroked first time into the bottom corner. Al-Ahli boosted their hopes of a quarter-final place when Galeno, who joined from Porto in January, headed home Roberto Firmino's clipped cross from the right in the 30th minute. Four minutes later the Jeddah-based outfit doubled their advantage when Mahrez crashed his shot into the roof of the Al-Rayyan net after Firmino rolled an indirect free-kick into his path from 12 metres. Al-Rayyan's Roger Guedes ignited the tie with a curling shot from 20 metres into the top corner that beat goalkeeper Edouard Mendy with 19 minutes remaining and the Brazilian almost equalised in added time, thumping a shot against the crossbar. The Qataris were to rue that miss as Feras Al-Brikan finished off a counterattack led by Mahrez five minutes into injury time and Al-Rayyan ended the game with 10 men when Adam Bareiro was sent off for a lunge on substitute Fahad Al-Rashidi. Al-Hilal host Pakhtakor in Riyadh next week when Al-Ahli entertain Al-Rayyan with places on the line in the draw for the last eight, which will be held in Kuala Lumpur on March 17. The competition's final stages will be a centralised format staged in Jeddah, with the quarter-finals on April 25 and 26. The semis are set for April 29 and 30 with the final on May 3.
