Saudi Arabian giants Al Hilal suffered a shock 1-0 defeat to Uzbekistan’s Pakhtakor in the first leg of their AFC Champions League Last-16 tie on Tuesday. 🇸🇦❌🇺🇿
Despite being undefeated in the group stage (7 wins, 1 draw) and leading the West Region, Al Hilal struggled in the freezing conditions of Tashkent. ❄️🥶
🔥 Pakhtakor Stun Al Hilal in Tashkent
📌 Match Winner: 🇧🇷 Flamarion (29′)
📌 Venue: 🏟️ JAR Stadium, Tashkent
*📌 Key Absence: ❌ Aleksandar Mitrović (Injured)
The decisive moment came just before the half-hour mark when Flamarion clinically finished past Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou to give the Uzbek side the lead. 🎯🥅
Despite pushing for an equalizer, last year’s semi-finalists Al Hilal couldn’t break through Pakhtakor’s disciplined defense. They badly missed Serbian striker Aleksandar Mitrović, who has been sidelined since early January. 🤕
⚔️ Second Leg: Al Hilal will now aim to turn things around at home when they welcome Pakhtakor to Riyadh in seven days. 🔄🏟️
✅ Al Ahli Cruise Past Al Rayyan 🎯🇸🇦
Meanwhile, Al Ahli had no such trouble, defeating Al Rayyan 3-1 in Qatar. 🟢⚡
📌 Goalscorers:
⚽ Galeno (30′)
⚽ Riyad Mahrez (34′)
*⚽ Firas Al-Buraikan (90′)
The Jeddah club struck twice in four first-half minutes, with Galeno heading home from a Roberto Firmino assist before Mahrez curled in a brilliant free-kick. 🎩✨
⚡ Mahrez Stats in ACL 2025:
✅ 6 Goals ⚽
✅ 7 Assists 🎯
Al Rayyan pulled one back through Roger Guedes’ stunning strike, but Firas Al-Buraikan’s late goal restored Al Ahli’s two-goal cushion. 👏🔥
🔴 VAR Drama: Al Rayyan were reduced to 10 men after Adam Bareiro’s red card following a VAR review. 🟥📺
⚔️ Second Leg: Al Ahli host Al Rayyan in Jeddah on March 11. 🏟️🇸🇦
🌍 Elsewhere in the AFC Champions League
✅ Yokohama F. Marinos (Last Year’s Runners-Up) defeat Shanghai Port 1-0 in China 🇯🇵⚽🇨🇳
✅ Brazilian forward Anderson Lopes scores the winner for the J-League side. 🎯
✅ Buriram United & Johor Darul Ta’zim play out a goalless draw in Thailand. 🇹🇭🆚🇲🇾
🏆 Can Al Hilal bounce back at home? Will Al Ahli continue their dominance? Drop your predictions below in the comments! 👇🔥
