Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Riyadh: Tuesday night brought Al Hilal a mix of disappointment at the heavy defeat at home and joy for reaching the 2019 AFC Champions League final.
There were calls to celebrate, apologies and careful reflections as Al Hilal players took to social media after a night that saw them suffer a 4-2 defeat at the hands of Qatar's Al Sadd; one of the heaviest home losses of the Blues' AFC Champions League history. But it was also a night when they secured a ticket to the competition's final for the third time in six years.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Riyadh: Al Hilal SFC head coach Răzvan Lucescu said his side should be proud with what they have achieved after reaching the 2019 AFC Champions League final on Tuesday.
Al Hilal came close to losing their 4-1 advantage from the semi-final, first leg but goals from Salem Al Dawsari and Bafetimbi Gomis secured the Saudi Arabia club a 6-5 aggregate win and a place in the final against either Guangzhou Evergrande or Urawa Red Diamonds.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Riyadh: Al Sadd head coach Xavi praised the performance of his side despite their exit from the 2019 AFC Champions League at the semi-final stage on Tuesday.
Goals from Akram Afif, Nam Tae-hee, Hassan Al Haydos and Boualem Khoukhi saw Al Sadd defeat Al Hilal SFC 4-2 in the second leg of the semi-finals at the King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh, but Salem Al Dawsari and Bafetimbi Gomis' first half efforts ensured the Saudi Arabia club advanced 6-5 on aggregate.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Riyadh: Fans at King Saud University Stadium were treated to a magnificent display of attacking football as Al Hilal SFC advanced to the 2019 AFC Champions League final with a 6-5 aggregate win over Al Sadd SC, despite losing the second leg 4-2 on home soil on Tuesday.
With the advantage of a three-goal lead from the first leg and a huge crowd behind them, Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal took the game to their opponents from the start, and within five minutes they had created their first big chance.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Guangzhou: Shinzo Koroki silenced the Tianhe Stadium on Wednesday with a header that sent Urawa Red Diamonds into the final of the 2019 AFC Champions League as the J.League side secured a 1-0 win over Guangzhou Evergrande to book their place in next month’s decider.
Koroki’s 50th minute goal earned Urawa a 3-0 aggregate win over the Chinese Super League leaders and ensured the final will be a repeat of the 2017 clash, when Urawa defeated Al Hilal from Saudi Arabia over two legs to claim their second AFC Champions League crown.
The pair will face off again after Al Hilal's win over Al Sadd from Qatar on Tuesday evening and Urawa will now have the chance to become the first club to win the trophy on three occasions, having seen off a Guangzhou side attempting to overcome a two-goal first leg deficit to keep their own hopes of a third AFC Champions League title alive.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: When Bafetimbi Gomis bagged a brace in the first leg of the 2019 AFC Champions League semi-final against Al Sadd, not only did he make up for his earlier own goal en route to a 4-1 victory, he also moved joint top of the scoring charts.
Gomis and Leonardo – who has left Al Wahda to join Shabab Al Ahli since the Emirati side were eliminated – are tied with nine goals apiece, but with the Saudi team potentially having three more games to play, the Frenchman is the favourite to win the top scorer award come November 24.
But, while one more goal would see the Al Hilal target man take pole position, there remains a chasing pack who will have one eye on the accolade. Ahead of the semi-final second legs next week, the-AFC.com takes a closer look at the contenders.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: Matchdays Three and Four of the Asian Qualifiers took place over the last week with several of the stars from the four 2019 AFC Champions League semi-finalists turning out for their respective countries.
China PR's Guangzhou Evergrande, Urawa Red Diamonds of Japan, Qatari club Al Sadd and Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal will resume their quest to become Asia's kings next week when the AFC Champions League recommences with the second legs of the semi-finals.
Before then, the-AFC.com looks at how their international stars got on for their nations in the most recent rounds of the Asian Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and AFC Asian Cup China 2023.