Mon, Nov 25, 2024 | Jumada al-Awwal 23, 1446 | DXB ktweather icon0°C

Neymar scores his first goal in fifth appearance for Al Hilal

The win puts Al Hilal top of Group D with four points

Published: Wed 4 Oct 2023, 1:11 AM

Top Stories

Al Hilal's Neymar reacts after scoring his team's second goal. — AFP

Al Hilal's Neymar reacts after scoring his team's second goal. — AFP

Neymar scored his first goal in his fifth appearance for Al Hilal on Tuesday as the Saudi Arabian club beat Nassaji Mazandaran 3-0 in Tehran on a calmer day in the Asian Champions League.

Just 24 hours after another Saudi team, Al-Ittihad, left Iran without taking the field against Sepahan, four-time continental champion Al-Hilal was too strong for the Iranian hosts at the Azadi Stadium.


Aleksandar Mitrovic, signed from English Premier League team Fulham in the summer, opened the scoring after 10 minutes.

The former Barcelona superstar, who moved to Riyadh from Paris Saint-Germain in August, silenced the crowd two minutes before the hour as he shot home from the edge of the area. Saleh Al-Shehri added a third in added time.

The win puts Al Hilal top of Group D with four points.

The 10 group winners and the six best-performing second-place teams will progress to the second round.

Fellow Saudi Arabian team Al-Fayha defeated Pakhtakor 2-0 in Group A with Abdelhamid Sabiri of Morocco scoring both goals.

Japanese champions Yokohama F. Marinos bounced back from an opening game defeat to win 1-0 at China’s Shandong Taishan, while South Korean champions and two-time continental winners Ulsan Hyundai lost 1-0 at Japan’s Kawasaki Frontale.



Next Story