Al Hilal secured a comfortable 3-0 win against Al Rayyan in Group A of the AFC Champions League 2022 on Monday at the Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium.
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 Mohamed 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 Nzonzi as well.
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. The win sees Al Hilal leapfrog Al Rayyan to the top of the table, keeping their perfect record ahead of the repeat of the 2021 meeting between them and Istiklol FC on Friday, while the Qatar Stars League side will take on UAE Pro League side Sharjah FC.

Mumbai City edge Air Force Club for historic triumph
 In Riyadh, Mumbai City came back from a goal down to defeat Air Force Club 2-1 in Group B match, the first win for an Indian side at this stage of the continental showpiece.
After a goalless first half, substitute Hammadi Ahmad gave Air Force Club the lead before Mumbai City rallied with goals from Diego Maurício and Rahul Bheke to seal the historic win at the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh.
Air Force Club asserted themselves in the game from the early minutes, pinning Mumbai City deep into their own half but the Iraqi side couldn’t convert their chances. Air Force Club’s Alaa Abbas was causing all sorts of problems for Mumbai City but the forward should have done better in the ninth minute when his tame effort was easily collected by Mumbai CIty goalkeeper Phurba Lachenpa.
Mumbai City had their first look at goal just before the half-hour mark, Ahmed Jahouh finding space before setting up for Lallianzuala Chhangte, who blasted his long-range effort wide. The best chance of the half fell to Air Force Club in the 34th minute but Hussein Jabbar struggled to guide Ismail’s effort into the back of net from close range while Chhangte was forced into a fingertip save three minutes later, denying Abbas’ effort.
The goal finally came for Air Force Club seven minutes later when a swift attacking move deep in Mumbai City’s half saw the Iraqi side take the lead after Ahmad cooly nestled the ball into the back of the net from inside the six-yard-box.
Mumbai City, however, were not to be denied when they were awarded a penalty in the 70th minute following Ali Kadhim’s foul on Maurício, with the Brazilian making no mistake to convert from the spot.
The equaliser proved to be a turning point in the game as Bheke doubled Mumbai City’s lead, heading home a textbook corner from Jahouh to seal the game and a historic first three points.