Saudi Al-Hilal Surge into Asian Champions League Semis by Thrashing Gwangju
Al-Hilal powered into the semi-finals of the Asian Champions League Elite in Jeddah on Friday as Jorge Jesus’s Saudi Pro League side demolished South Korea’s Gwangju 7-0 to move closer to a record-extending fifth continental title.
Goals from Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Marcos Leonardo and Salem Al-Dawsari inside the first 33 minutes sent the four-times champions on their way, with Aleksandar Mitrovic, Malcom, Nasser Al-Dawsari and Abdullah Al-Hamddan on target after the interval.
“The players who played today were under a lot of pressure but they played at their usual level,” said Jesus. “Without their commitment we wouldn’t achieve what we achieved today. We are on the right path.”
The result at a raucous King Abdullah Sports City Stadium means Al-Hilal will take on the winners of Saturday’s quarter-final between fellow Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli and Thailand’s Buriram United.
Al-Hilal, continental champions in 1991, 2000, 2019 and 2021 and runners-up on five other occasions, were several levels above the K-League side, who are appearing in the competition for the first time.
Milinkovic-Savic gave the Saudi side the perfect start in the sixth minute, the midfielder peeling away from his marker to meet Salem Al-Dawsari’s corner with a glancing header that beat Kim Kyeong-in for pace from the edge of the six-yard box.
