Al Hilal sink Al Ittihad in Champions League quarter-final opener

Al Hilal will take a commanding lead into next week’s Asian Champions League quarter-final second leg after defeating Al Ittihad 2-0 at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh on Tuesday. The record four-time continental champions, runners-up last year, were comfortable winners in the all-Saudi Arabian encounter in the capital. Former Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic and reigning Asian Player of the Year Salem Al Dawsari scored within two minutes of one another late in the first half to seal a comfortable first-leg victory.

World Cup winner N’Golo Kante was sent off for Ittihad midway through the second half and will be suspended for the return match in Jeddah next Tuesday. Ittihad, the current Saudi champions and themselves two-time Champions League winners, were already without captain Karim Benzema for the first leg. The 2022 Ballon d’Or winner, signed last summer from Real Madrid, was missing through injury. Hilal, who top the 2023/24 Saudi Pro League by nine points, opened the scoring five minutes before half-time.

Captain Salman Al Faraj curled in a cross from the right, Madallah Al Olayan tussled with Mitrovic, and the referee judged the Ittihad defender had hauled down his Serbian rival. Mitrovic converted from the spot, taking his tally for Hilal to 30 goals in 31 matches since his summer move from the Premier League. Two minutes later, Hilal doubled their advantage. Ruben Neves sent Malcom down the right with a superb ball, before the Brazilian squared to Al Dawsari. The Saudi Arabian winger swept home past Ittihad goalkeeper