Al Hilal set world record to reach Asian League semis
JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal set a world record for consecutive victories with their 28th win in a row to reach the Asian Champions League semi-finals on Tuesday. A 2-0 victory at fellow Saudi side Al Ittihad saw them surpass the previous record of 27 straight wins by a top-flight team, set by Welsh team The New Saints in 2016.
Riyadh-based Hilal, already the most successful team in AFC Champions League history with four titles, went through 4-0 on aggregate in Jeddah. Runners-up last year, Hilal triumphed in the quarter-final second leg at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium with second-half goals from Yasser Al Shahrani and the Brazilian Malcom.
Hilal will meet Al Ain of the UAE in the last four next month following the 2003 champions’ penalty shootout win against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr on Monday. Ittihad’s miserable night was summed up in the final minute of normal time when striker Abderrazak Hamdallah was given a second booking for grabbing Hilal defender Ali Al Bulaihi by the throat.
The confrontation sparked a number of clashes between the opposing sets of players. Ittihad, Champions League winners in 2004 and 2005, were missing a number of key players. Karim Benzema, the 2022 Ballon d’Or winner signed last summer from Real Madrid, was once more missing through injury, while 2018 World Cup winner N’Golo Kante was suspended after being sent off in the first leg.
However, it was the current Saudi Pro League champions who carried the greater threat for the majority of the encounter. Ittihad almost opened the scoring in the 17th minute when Romarinho’s leftfoot strike from the edge of the Hilal penalty area cannoned back off the post. — AFP