Al-Hilal Saudi Arabia continued its perfect start in the AFC Champions League elite football competition by achieving its fourth successive victory when it defeated its guest Esteghlal Tehran of Iran with a clean 3-0 scored by its Serbian international striker Aleksandar Mitrovic on Monday at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, but it lost the services of its Brazilian star Neymar due to a muscle injury. .
In front of 17,840 fans, led by Frenchman Hervé Renard, who returned to coach the Saudi national team, succeeding Italian Roberto Mancini, Mitrovic scored the three goals in the 15th, 33rd and 74th minutes, raising his tally to four goals in the competition.
Al-Hilal increased its score at the top of the standings by 12 points on goal difference against its compatriot Al-Ahly, which won over its Iraqi guest, Al-Shorta, 5-1 in Jeddah, while Esteghlal Tehran’s score froze at 3 points in seventh place.
But Al Hilal’s joy was spoiled in the 87th minute by the renewed injury of its star Neymar, who came on as a substitute at the beginning of the second half. Neymar entered in the 58th minute instead of Abdullah Al-Hamdan, but his Portuguese coach Jorge Jesus was forced to replace him with Mohammed Al-Qahtani three minutes before the end of regular time due to him suffering from a muscle injury.
Neymar appeared angry after returning to the bench and threw his shin guards away, but he left the field without any assistance from the medical staff before giving his shirt to one of the visiting team players. The Brazilian, who registered only in the continental competition, was absent from Al Hilal’s ranks for 385 days, and returned to the game on October 21 last when he also came on as a substitute, specifically in the 77th minute in the match against the host, Al Ain, the UAE champion (4-3) in the third round.
Al Hilal put pressure from the beginning, and Mitrovic almost opened the scoring in the 11th minute with a powerful shot following a pass from captain Salem Al-Dosari, but it went over the crossbar, but he succeeded four minutes later in scoring after a pass from Al-Dossari himself, which he shot powerfully into the goal. Esteghlal Tehran’s goalkeeper, Hussein Hosseini, blocked Al-Dosari’s shot and it was ready for Al-Hamdan, who shot it in turn, but the goalkeeper excelled in stopping it again (31).
Mitrovic increased Al Hilal’s lead following a pass from the other Brazilian, Renan Lodi (33). Moroccan international goalkeeper Yacine Bounou saved Al Hilal’s goal from a goal for the visitors by blocking the ball of Uzbekistan’s Jalaluddin Masharipov. Al Hilal continued to control the events in the second half, and Mitrovic scored the third goal with a header following a wonderful cross from the Portuguese Joao Cancelo (74).
Brazilian Malcom almost added the fourth after a pass from Mitrovic, but goalkeeper Hosseini blocked his shot (77).
