The first legs of the AFC Champions League Elite Round of 16 produced contrasting results for Saudi Arabian clubs on Tuesday. Al-Hilal, the reigning Saudi Pro League champions, suffered a surprise 1-0 defeat away to Uzbekistan’s Pakhtakor, while Al-Ahli secured a 3-1 victory over Qatari side Al-Rayyan.
In Tashkent, Pakhtakor, who scraped into the knockout rounds with a final-round victory in the league phase, continued their impressive form by defeating four-time champions Al-Hilal. The only goal of the game came in the 29th minute. Brayan Riascos outmuscled Ali Al-Bulayhi on the right flank before delivering a low cross that Flamarion finished first-time into the bottom corner.
In Qatar, Al-Ahli took a significant step towards the quarter-finals with a 3-1 win over Al-Rayyan. Galeno, a January signing from Porto, opened the scoring in the 30th minute, heading home Roberto Firmino’s cross. Riyad Mahrez doubled Al-Ahli’s lead four minutes later, smashing the ball into the roof of the net after Firmino rolled an indirect free-kick into his path.
Al-Rayyan responded in the second half, with Roger Guedes scoring a spectacular curling shot from 20 meters in the 71st minute. Guedes almost equalized in added time, hitting the crossbar. However, Al-Ahli sealed the victory five minutes into injury time when Feras Al-Brikan finished off a counter-attack led by Mahrez. Al-Rayyan’s misery was compounded when Adam Bareiro was sent off for a lunge on substitute Fahad Al-Rashidi.
The return legs will be played next week, with Al-Hilal hosting Pakhtakor in Riyadh and Al-Ahli entertaining Al-Rayyan. The draw for the quarter-finals will be held in Kuala Lumpur on March 17th. The competition’s final stages will be a centralized format staged in Jeddah, with the quarter-finals on April 25th and 26th, the semi-finals on April 29th and 30th, and the final on May 3rd.
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