Al-Hilal Secures Victory Against Al-Ahli

International striker Oli Watkins restored Saudi club Al Hilal to the path of victory by scoring a brace in their 2-0 win over visiting UAE side Al Ahli Dubai, while Iran’s Esteghlal defeated Qatar’s Al-Shamal 1-0 yesterday, concluding the fourth round of the unified group stage of the West Region of the AFC Champions League Elite.

In the first match at King Abdullah Sports City in Riyadh, Al Hilal secured the top spot against Al Ahli Dubai with two clean goals, both scored by Watkins in the 6th and 46th minutes. The victory avenged Al Hilal’s unexpected 1-3 defeat to host Al-Shamal in the third round, marking their third win in the competition and lifting their tally to nine points, moving them into second place, three points behind table-topping UAE club Al Ain. Meanwhile, Al Ahli Dubai suffered their first loss after three consecutive victories, dropping to fourth place.

Al Hilal imposed their dominance from the outset, converting it into an early goal through Watkins, who capitalized on a through ball from the halfway line delivered by Senegal national team captain Khalidou Coubaliba, slotting it into the net with his right foot (6th minute). Sabri Lamouchi missed a chance to double the lead (15th minute), followed by a dangerous shot from Meteb Al-Harbi (29th minute). Al Hilal extended their advantage early in the second half, as Watkins found the net after a precise through pass from Turkish substitute Yusuf Akçay (46th minute). Al Ahli Dubai became more active in the final minutes, threatening Al Hilal’s goal with a header from Belgian forward Vautin Vae (85th minute) and a dangerous strike from Matheus Lima (88th minute), but Moroccan international goalkeeper Yassine Bounou made heroic saves to protect his goal.

In the second match, Esteghlal regained their composure and handed host Al-Shamal their first defeat of the tournament with a 1-0 win at the Basra International Stadium in Iraq. The Iranian team owed their victory to Albanian forward Jasir Asani, who scored in the first minute of stoppage time. This marked Esteghlal’s third win of this season’s campaign and their third victory against a Qatari side, having previously beaten Al Sadd 3-0 in the first round, Al-Gharafa 2-1 in the second, before suffering a 0-2 defeat to UAE’s Al Ahli Dubai in the third round. The win lifted Esteghlal’s tally to nine points, moving them into third place. Meanwhile, Al-Shamal, runners-up in the Qatari league, suffered their first loss after two draws against Saudi club Al-Ittihad (1-1) and Iranian side Tractor (0-0), along with a 3-1 win over Al Hilal. Their points total remained at five, and they dropped to eighth place.