Al Hilal, club from Saudi Arabia defending champions collect 3 points again after win against Al Rayyan, club from Qatar with a score 3-0 in the AFC Champions League 2022 group stage, Group A at Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium, Riyadh.
Al Hilal started off on the front foot, with Micheal Oliveira – the man who scored the winner against Sharjah FC in the previous game – rising up highest to meet a well placed cross by Mohammad Al Burayk but his header scraped the roof of the net before going out.
Abdullah Al Hamdan, deputising for the injured Saleh Al Shehri, opened the scoring for the reigning champions after 27 minutes of play with a slithering low shot through a forest of legs in the penalty area after receiving the lively Al Burayk’s cross from the right.
Four minutes into the second half, Al Hamdan turned creator and provided an excellent cross to Mohammed Kanno who volleyed past Fahad Baker to double the score.
The buildup was a testament to the way Al Hilal had pressed throughout – captain Salman Al Faraj won the ball high upfield before laying it on to Oliveira who found Al Hamdan on the flank.
Oliveira had the chance to take Diaz’s men even further ahead, when Al Faraj played Al Burayk through down the right and the latter crossed into the area from the byline, with the Brazilian meeting it with his head but Baker managed to make the save.
Despite pressure from the group hosts, Al Rayyan did have Yacine Brahimi threatening with his footwork and pinpoint passes to Yohan Boli, who had two shots saved across both periods of play. The Ivorian also missed a cross that passed in front of an empty Al Hilal goal, mistiming his movement as the ball rolled past himself and Steven N’zonzi as well.
Osamah Al Tairi missed another chance for Al Rayyan when Brahimi beat his marker before playing him through, but his shot was skied under challenge from the Al Hilal defence. A sense of urgency appeared late on characterised by long range shots, with Hashim Ali also firing wide.
Nasser Al Dawsari put the win beyond doubt with four minutes left on the clock, when youngster Abdullah Radif was found by Oliveira, in turn playing Al Dawsari in the with the midfielder dancing his way through the Al Rayyan defence before putting a tame ball past the keeper to make it 3-0.
End of the match, Al Hilal collect three points again, at scored 3-0 and still lead a top flight in the group.
Credit Photo : Victor Fraile/AFC
