The penultimate round of matches in the group stage of the Asian Champions League was a thrilling one, with all Saudi teams still in with a chance to reach the knockout stages. Here are five things we learned from the latest action.
برشلونة
Al-Shabab needed a win to secure a place in the second round and they got it in style with a 6-0 thrashing of the unfortunate Mumbai City. It means that after five games, the Whites have 13 points with 16 goals scored and just one conceded. Only Riyadh rivals Al-Hilal can match such a performance.
The game wasn’t as one-sided as the scoreline suggests. Some credit should be given to goalkeeper Fawaz Al-Qarni who made a magnificent double save early in the game to keep the Indians from taking the lead.
Such heroics laid the foundation for what happened next with the rest of the evening belonging to the excellent Hatten Bahebri who scored a fine hat-trick. He gave the Saudi Arabian team the lead after 19 minutes and when Mourtada Fall put into his own net before the break, there was no coming back for Mumbai.
It meant that Al-Shabab have roared into the knockout stages. The one downside is that they won’t be able to play those games until early next year. This momentum will have long dissipated by then and it remains to be seen how similar the team is. That is for the future, however. For now, Al-Shabab will be delighted.
2. Al-Hilal streak ends, but they can still help domestic rivals
A 2-2 draw with Sharjah ended the 12-match winning streak that was the second-longest in the club’s history and is the first time that coach Ramon Diaz has failed to achieve a victory since returning as head coach in February. It is not something to worry about as the defending champions had already secured a place in the second round.
نادي الاتحاد
It was far from a classic performance against the Emirate team. Many thought that the stars would be rested, but most of the changes came in defense. That was perhaps why Sharjah were able to take a two-goal lead into the break as Al-Hilal fell asleep for the first strike and then struggled to clear their lines for the second. There was a rally after the break as a more cohesive team pushed forward, and once they got a goal back, a real poacher’s strike from defender Muteb Al-Mufarrij, an equalizer was always on the cards and so it proved thanks to a late penalty converted by Salem Al-Dawsari.
Al-Hilal have a game left, and if they can defeat Al-Rayyan of Qatar, then they will be doing Al-Taawoun a big favor in the battle to be one of the three best second-place teams. If Al-Rayyan lose and Al-Taawoun win, then the Saudi club will be certain of a place in the last 16.