AFC Champions League Elite: Al Hilal takes revenge on Al Ain and Castro’s last stand
The group stage of the newly rebranded AFC Champions League Elite began this week as three Saudi clubs took to the pitch to begin their quest for Asia’s most prestigious club trophy. Al Hilal, Al Nassr and Al Ahli are among the favorites to lift the continental title, although they face stiff competition from clubs in Qatar, UAE, Japan and South Korea.
Here, Al Arabiya English selects the biggest moments from the first round of group stage fixtures as Al Hilal comfortably saw off the challenge of Al Rayyan, while Al Ahli snuck a win and Luis Castro oversaw his final match as head coach of Al Nassr.
Castro’s last stand
It was believed that nothing short of a comprehensive victory for Al Nassr in its opening match against Iraqi side Al Shorta would be enough for under-pressure coach Luis Castro to keep his job. A frustrating evening for Nassr saw last season’s AFC Champions League quarterfinalists leave Baghdad with a 1-1 draw and, sure enough, 24 hours later Castro was departing the club.
Having suffered heartbreak in all four of its attempts at winning major silverware in 2023-24, Al Nassr has started the new season in lethargic fashion. The draw with Al Shorta was the final straw; Castro’s third draw in four games proved his last match as coach. The Portuguese tactician was not helped by the absence of compatriot and star striker Cristiano Ronaldo, missing with a viral infection, but Nassr should still have had enough quality to defeat Al Shorta.
Instead, the Iraqi outfit sprung a shock In a cauldron-like atmosphere at the Al-Madina Stadium in Baghdad – despite initially going behind. With Ronaldo out, Sultan Al-Ghannam stood in as captain and the Saudi right-back led by example with a rare goal, coolly slotting home after Otavia’s neat through-ball to make it 1-0 to Nassr.
However, Iraq international winger Mohammed Dawood Yaseen capitalized on a defensive lapse in concentration to finish beautifully and Al Shorta stood firm to claim a valuable point. Al Nassr still has plenty of time to put its stamp on the AFC Champions League Elite group stage, but the team will now be doing it without coach Castro at the helm.
Cancelo inspires Al Hilal
In a near-perfect 2023-24 season for Al Hilal, the only blot on the club’s copybook was an AFC Champions League semi-final defeat to eventual tournament winners Al Ain. It meant that Jorge Jesus’ side started the new campaign more determined than ever to add its fifth continental crown next May – exemplified by a comprehensive 3-1 opening victory over Al Rayyan in Qatar.
Sergej Milinkovic-Savic opened the scoring for the visitors, heading home Malcom’s right-wing cross but Al Rayyan then peppered the Hilal goal with shots in search of an equalizer – goalkeeper Bono brilliantly saving from David Garcia. Then two quick-fire goals put the game beyond the hosts’ reach. The first came from new signing João Cancelo, the ex-Manchester City and Barcelona man grabbing his maiden goal for Hilal courtesy of a thumping low finish from the right-side of the box. Just two minutes later, Cancelo was involved again – this time laying the ball on a plate for fellow new arrival Marcos Leonardo to also score his first for the club, from close range.
Coach Jesus and the club’s fans will be hoping the Cancelo-Leonardo combination is one that bears fruit regularly this season, with the signing of the pair late in the transfer window now giving Hilal a level of squad depth that is a frightening prospect for its opponents. Al Rayyan striker Roger Guedes grabbed a consolation goal in the second half but a 3-1 victory still represented a perfect start for Hilal.
Kessie claims Ahli nerves
Any concerns that Al Ahli supporters may have had about their team’s return to AFC Champions League action for the first time in two seasons were quickly dispelled against Persepolis in Jeddah. The Iranian heavyweight, one of the continent’s most storied clubs, represented a tricky test for Ahli but it took midfield dynamo Franck Kessie just two minutes to quell the pre-match jitters.
Riyad Mahrez, always Ahli’s chief creative outlet, was at it again in front of a packed Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium – providing an early assist with an incisive pass that found Kessie inside the box. The Ivorian, who also netted against Al Nassr in the Saudi Pro League last weekend, thrashed a right-footed shot into the roof of the net – with the match clock only on 01:37.
Ahli, whose attack was led by new summer signing Ivan Toney, certainly looked like it was back where it belonged, and it could have been more comfortable when Toney was brought down in the second half and the referee pointed to the spot. But Riyad Mahrez – surprisingly taking the spot-kick instead of the Englishman – saw his effort saved superbly by fellow Algerian Alexis Guendouz.
Persepolis pushed hard for an equalizer, with Ahli goalkeeper Edouard Mendy producing a stunning stop to keep out Oston Urunov, but in the end it was Mathhias Jaissle’s side that held on for a morale-boosting three points.
Best of the rest
Elsewhere on Matchday 1 of the AFC Champions League Elite, reigning champion Al Ain was held to a 1-1 draw at home by Qatar’s Al Sadd. AFC Asian Cup MVP Akram Afif put the visitors ahead in the UAE but Matias Palacios’ late equalizer ensured last season’s winner at least avoided an opening defeat.
There was better news for the UAE’s other representative, Al Wasl, which is back in top-tier continental competition for the first time since 2019. The team from Dubai claimed a narrow 1-0 victory over Pakhtakor, winners of the Uzbek title for the past five years. A second-half strike from Morocco international defender Soufiane Bouftini was enough to secure the win.
The biggest winner, and currently topping the 12-team table in the competition’s new format, was Iran’s Esteghal as it triumphed 3-0 against Qatari outfit Al Gharafa. An early own goal from Abdalla Yousif set the tone before efforts from Ramin Rezaeian and Arash Rezavand late in the second half ensured a 3-0 win at the Shahr-e Qods Stadium in Tehran.
