Jakarta, CNN Indonesia —
Al Hilal which Neymar still hasn’t strengthened, managed to beat Al Ittihad 2-0 in the first leg of the quarter-final Liga Champions AsiaWednesday (6/3) early morning WIB.
Al Hilal cannot rely on Neymar who has not yet recovered from injury. Meanwhile Al Ittihad also did not field their star player, Karim Benzema.
The duel between Saudi Arabian League teams was won by Al Hilal who appeared more dominant at the Kingdom Arena Stadium, Riyadh.
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Despite appearing dominant, Al Hilal was only able to score the lead in the 40th minute through the execution of Aleksandar Mitrovic’s penalty.
The referee pointed to the spot after Mitrovic was brought down by Madallah Al Olayan in the restricted area. Mitrovic, who stepped forward as executioner, successfully carried out his duties perfectly.
Mitrovic’s shot towards the bottom left corner could not be stopped by Al Ittihad goalkeeper Abdullah Al Muaiouf. Score 1-0 for Al Hilal.
Two minutes later, Al Hilal managed to double their lead to 2-0 thanks to a goal from Salem Al Dawsari using Malcom’s assist. The home side’s lead lasted until halftime.
In the second half, it became increasingly difficult for Al Ittihad to catch up after N’Golo Kante was given a red card in the 66th minute.
Despite having superior players, Al Hilal was unable to score additional goals and had to be satisfied with a 2-0 win over AL Ittihad.
This is Al Hilal’s positive capital before playing the away match at Al Ittihad headquarters, King Abdullah Sport City, Jeddah, Wednesday (13/3) early morning WIB.
[Gambas:Video CNN]
(jun)