Al-Hilal advanced to the AFC Champions League Elite semi-finals with a commanding 7-0 victory over Gwangju in Jeddah. The Saudi Pro League champions, aiming for a fifth title in Asia’s top club competition, led 3-0 at half-time on Friday.
They maintained their dominance throughout the match.
Sergej Milinkovic-Savic opened the scoring with a header in the sixth minute. Yassine Bounou then prevented an equaliser from Jasir Asani. Al-Hilal capitalised on this missed chance when Marcos Leonardo scored in the 25th minute, followed by Salem Al-Dawsari’s goal eight minutes later.
Aleksandar Mitrovic added to the scoreline by converting a Milinkovic-Savic cross early in the second half. Malcolm extended the lead in the 79th minute, and substitute Nasser Al-Dawsari scored soon after. Abdullah Al-Hamddan completed the scoring just before full-time.
Al-Hilal will face either Al-Ahli or Buriram United in the semi-finals, with all remaining matches taking place in Jeddah. Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr will play against Yokohama F. Marinos, while Kawasaki Frontale meets Qatar’s Al-Sadd in other quarter-final fixtures.
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The financial resources of Saudi Arabia’s top teams make them strong contenders in this tournament. On Friday, Al-Hilal demonstrated their superiority with 20 shots compared to Gwangju’s four and created 3.1 expected goals (xG) against Gwangju’s 0.38. They also had significantly more penalty area touches.
Milinkovic-Savic scored Al-Hilal’s fastest goal of this season’s competition at five minutes and 17 seconds. Salem Al-Dawsari’s third goal effectively sealed the game. His nine goals this season are unmatched by any other player in the tournament.