Al Hilal, a club from Saudi Arabia advanced to semi-final after beating Gwangju FC, a club from Korea Republic scoring 7-0 in the AFC Champions League Elite 2024/25 Quarter-Final at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium, Jeddah.
The Saudi Arabian giants were in unstoppable form as they booked their place in the semi-finals in ruthless fashion, sending a clear message to the rest of Asia that they remain the team to beat.
Al Hilal set the tone early with relentless pressure, winning a corner within the opening five minutes. Sergej Milinkovic-Savic opened the scoring with a towering header from Salem Al Dawsari’s precise delivery, giving the home side an early advantage.
Gwangju almost responded immediately, but a smart save by Yassine Bounou denied Jasir Asani from close range in the ninth minute. However, that was as close as the Korean side came to getting back into the game.
Al Hilal continued to dominate proceedings, with Kim Kyeong-min producing a string of crucial saves to keep the scoreline respectable—at least for the time being.
But the floodgates opened in the 25th minute. Brazilian winger Malcom darted down the right flank unchallenged and squared the ball to Leonardo, who slotted home calmly for Al Hilal’s second.
The third came just eight minutes later, this time Leonardo turning provider with a deft pass to Al Dawsari, who surged into the box and coolly finished past the stranded goalkeeper.
Gwangju tried to regroup in the second half, but their resistance was short-lived. In the 55th minute, Milinkovic-Savic delivered a pinpoint cross to Aleksandar Mitrovic, who made no mistake from inside the box to make it 4-0.
The flood of goals continued in the final stages. Malcom latched onto Mitrovic’s through ball in the 79th minute to add the fifth. Nasser Al Dawsari joined the scoresheet five minutes later after a neat pass from Mohamed Kanno, before Abdullah Al Hamddan capped off the historic night with a stunning strike from outside the box in the 87th minute.
It was a performance of power, pace, and precision from Al Hilal, who now march into the semi-finals brimming with confidence and momentum.
Credit Photo : HongZheng Lim/SNE-Photo
