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Al Sadd will be desperate to revive their AFC Champions League Elite campaign when they take on Saudi Arabia's Al Qadsiah on Monday, with the 2011 champions needing a victory to boost their hopes of reaching the round of 16.Two consecutive defeats have left the Qatari side under pressure ahead of their third match in the continental competition. They will also be looking to end a six-match winless run against Saudi Arabian opposition, having lost five and drawn one while conceding 17 goals in the process.Al Sadd coach Razvan Lucescu acknowledged the challenge posed by Al Qadsiah but insisted his team would fight for a positive result.“I am happy to be here, and we have a tough match ahead of us against a strong team with quality players. This is our third match in the tournament, and we hope to achieve a positive result,” Lucescu said at the pre-match press conference yesterday.“Every match has its own circumstances and character, and we will work to achieve the best possible result. We must show a strong fighting spirit, perform at our best, demonstrate Al Sadd's character on the field and aim for victory,” the Romanian added.Lucescu also highlighted the importance of the competition in helping players develop and prove their abilities, stressing that his squad must be prepared for the demands of a busy schedule. “The AFC Champions League is a great incentive for any player who wants to prove his abilities and develop, and we must be ready for this competition,” he said.“The team must be ready, and the injured players have substitutes of the same level. With the demands of the competition, we need all players to be ready in order to continue our campaign and advance in the tournament.”Al Sadd defender Tarek Salman echoed his coach's sentiments, stressing the need for concentration against an Al Qadsiah side he described as a good and improving team.“We have an important match ahead of us against Al Qadsiah, a good and developing team, and we must be fully focused throughout the match,” Salman said. “We will work hard to win and collect our first three points in the tournament. We look forward to delivering a strong performance and achieving the result we want.”Al Qadsiah, meanwhile, will be eager to maintain their unbeaten start and make the most of home advantage. Avoiding defeat would see them become only the third Saudi Arabian club to remain unbeaten in their opening three matches of the competition, but they will be targeting all three points after a strong start to the season. **media[508936]**Al Gharafa face holders Al AhliMeanwhile, Al Gharafa face a formidable challenge against defending champions Al Ahli of Saudi on Monday, with coach Pedro Martinez urging his side to build on their performances against Al Hilal and Esteghlal.Martinez expects another fiercely contested encounter, similar to their previous match against Saudi Arabian giants Al Hilal, and believes his players can challenge the title holders.“I expect the match against Al Ahli to be at the same level as the big matches that are full of strong competition, and to be similar to the previous match against Al Hilal,” Martinez said.He acknowledged the quality of Al Ahli, who have won the continental title in the past two editions, but insisted Al Gharafa were focused on securing the points. “Al Ahli are a strong team and the title holders for the past two seasons, with distinguished players in their ranks, but we are fully focused and will fight to get the points,” he said.Martinez added that Al Gharafa had performed well in their previous two matches against Al Hilal and Esteghlal but had been unable to turn those displays into victories.“We performed well in the previous two matches against Al Hilal and Esteghlal, but luck was not on our side in winning. We know that small details make the difference in this type of match,” he said.Al Gharafa forward Yacine Brahimi also stressed the team's determination to deliver a positive result and reward their supporters. Acknowledging the quality of the opposition, Brahimi said Al Gharafa also had players capable of making a difference.Al Ahli are unbeaten in their last six AFC Champions League Elite meetings with Al Gharafa, winning and drawing three each, after losing their first two clashes and they have failed to score in just one of their eight encounters with the Qatari side.They have to, however, be tight in defence after conceding in both their earlier matches - which included a last-gasp draw with Uzbekistan’s Pakhtakor in their opening tie. 

Al Sadd suffered a second consecutive defeat in the AFC Champions League Elite after going down 2-0 to Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal yesterday.Ollie Watkins put Al Hilal ahead in the first half before Ruben Neves converted a penalty to seal the victory and secure the Saudi side’s second successive win.The match got off to a lively start at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium as Al Hilal seized the initiative, with Gabriel Martinelli seeing his rushed effort from inside the box blocked following a sweeping counter-attacking move in the sixth minute.The four-time Asian champions came close a minute later when Mohamed Kanno rose highest to meet Neves’ cross with a powerful header, only for Meshaal Barsham to parry clear with a fine low save.Al Sadd responded through Agustin Soria, whose deflected drive from distance was turned behind by Yassine Bounou in the 11th minute, while Sultan Mandash’s low effort had Barsham at full stretch at the other end a minute later.The home side were denied the lead in the 33rd minute when Akram Afif played the ball through for Mohammad al-Manai inside the box, but his effort from an acute angle struck the left post.Al Hilal’s persistence paid off in the 40th minute when Watkins, who despite being nudged to the ground by Soria inside the box, improvised and squeezed the ball past a sprawling Barsham.The Saudi Arabian side continued to threaten after the break, with Sergej Milinkovic-Savic firing wide in the 46th minute, before Al Sadd’s Claudinho saw his effort blocked three minutes later after being picked out by Afif.Watkins came close in the 61st minute when Martinelli fed the former Aston Villa forward through on goal with only Barsham to beat but Paulo Otavio slid across to block the shot, inadvertently handling the ball and conceding a penalty after a VAR review.Neves made no mistake from the spot, sending Barsham the wrong way as he planted a powerful shot into the top left corner, before the Al Sadd custodian limped off injured and was replaced by Saad Al Sheeb.Al Sadd almost reduced the deficit in the 77th minute when Roberto Firmino squeezed a shot past Bounou from a tight angle, only for Kalidou Koulibaly to clear the ball on the line as Al Hilal comfortably saw out the win. 

Al Sadd will be looking to get their AFC Champions League Elite campaign back on track when they host Saudi giants Al Hilal at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium on Tuesday.The Qatar champions suffered a 3-0 defeat to Iran's Esteghlal FC in their opening match and face another tough test against an Al Hilal side aiming for a second consecutive victory in the league stage of the continental competition.Al Sadd, who are seeking their second continental title, will be eager to bounce back after the disappointing start, having entered the tournament in good domestic form. However, they will need to be more defensively disciplined against an Al Hilal team determined to reclaim the trophy they last won in 2021.Al Hilal began their campaign with a victory over Qatar's Al Gharafa and will be confident of maintaining their momentum. Despite topping the West Zone league stage in each of their last two campaigns, the Saudi giants fell short in the knockout rounds and will be keen to go further this time.Al Sadd coach Razvan Lucescu acknowledged the challenge posed by his former club but said his focus was firmly on securing the team's first win of the campaign."We are playing our second match in this edition of the tournament, and we know that we are also coming from a domestic loss, but we are not thinking about anything other than facing Al Hilal," said the Romanian at Monday's pre-match press conference. "After the league match, we talked about this loss, even though we played a good match."Lucescu said his team had shown consistency in their performances but needed to address lapses in concentration that had proved costly in recent matches."Yes, I coached Al Hilal previously, and it is an excellent team with good players currently. Al Hilal is on the right track, and the match has a personal meaning for me with a former team," he said. "I am now the coach of Al Sadd, and I am striving to achieve the best result in this match. We must have the focus that we lacked in the three matches."Asked about Al Sadd conceding nine goals in their last three matches, Lucescu said the team had worked to correct its defensive shortcomings. "We suffered from a kind of lack of focus and conceded many goals, even in the match in which we won and scored six goals. We worked on addressing the flaws and individual errors that caused this number of goals, and we are fully prepared for the match that will be held at our stadium," he said.The coach also called on the fans to turn out in force, stressing that their support could prove crucial in a difficult encounter.Al Sadd defender Paulo Otavio echoed his coach's sentiments, describing the match as particularly important given the team's need to get its campaign moving. "This is the most important match for us given its current timing, and it is against one of the best clubs in Asia. We are looking forward to achieving our first victory in the current edition of the tournament," Otavio said. "I am confident that we will perform well and win this match, so we are working to be at the highest level of readiness."Otavio said the players were determined to deliver a performance worthy of the supporters. "We, as players, are ready to give our all in this match. We have a distinguished lineup of players in attack and defence, and we know it will be a match for the fans, and the fans are an important factor for us," he said. "We want, and we emphasise, that we will live up to the fans' expectations." 

Qatar’s Al Gharafa and Al Shamal endured contrasting fortunes in the AFC Champions League Elite on Monday. Gharafa suffered a 2-1 defeat to Iran’s Esteghlal at the Thani Bin Jassim Stadium, while Shamal were held to a goalless draw by Tractor in Muscat.Ferjani Sassi’s 48th-minute goal cancelled out a stunning strike by Jasir Asani in the first half before Hossein Goudarzi’s 60th-minute winner ensured Esteghlal finished with another three points.Both sides took their time to settle, with Esteghlal edging possession and Saman Fallah’s off-tangent header off a corner in the 12th minute their first look at goal.Another corner at the opposing end in the 21st minute gave the home side their chance to threaten, with Seydou Sano rising high in the box but nodding wide of the left post.There were no shots on target in the first half hour, but Asani made sure that the Iran Pro League side’s first strike in the 37th minute mattered when he came down the right and unleashed a spectacular 20-yard shot that dipped beyond Ahmad Kone’s fingertips and into the top left.Kone made a superb save from Saeid Saharkhizan four minutes into stoppage time while Habib Abbasi denied Al Gharafa’s first on-target attempts through Adam Ounas and Abdulrahman Faiz Al Rashidi to close the half.The Qatar outfit’s strong start to the second half paid off three minutes in when Sassi emerged from a pack of bodies inside the Esteghlal box to side-foot past Abbasi for the equaliser.Esteghlal, however, took advantage of slack goalkeeping by Kone in the 60th minute to regain the lead when Goudarzi was given too much space on the left and struck from range, his shot bouncing off the custodian’s palms and rolling into the bottom left.Saharkhizan saw his shot deflect off midfielder Ayoub Aloui in front of goal in the 79th minute while Abbasi made himself big to block Alaa Hasan’s point-blank effort five minutes later and Rustamjon Ashurnatov cleared off the line from Aloui to consign Al Gharafa to their second defeat.In Muscat, Tractor FC and Al Shamal SC played out a goalless draw. The stalemate sees Iran’s Tractor picking up their first point in the league Stage while Al Shamal settled for a second consecutive draw in their debut campaign.It was a cagey start with neither team able to gain a foothold on the game although Al Shamal enjoyed a lot more possession.In the 15th minute, there was a half-chance for the visitors when Ben Romdhane collected the ball on the left flank and tried to find Federico Bais in the box, only for Tractor goalkeeper Parsa Jafari to read the situation.As the first half progressed, Tractor started to get a grip on the game but their best effort was only a Shojae Khalilzadeh header in the 35th minute from Farshad Faraji’s long throw which bounced harmlessly into the grasp of Babacar Seck.The intensity improved after the interval as both teams went in search of the breakthrough.Yousouf Sabaly set up Bais for a rasping shot from outside the box in the 53rd minute which Jafari had to react fast to push over the bar.At the other end, Seck produced a brilliant double stop four minutes later, a strong right hand to parry Mohammd Naderi’s fierce drive before putting his body on the line to stop Danial Esmaelifar’s point-blank follow-up.Al Shamal had chances to snatch a late winner with Romdhane stopped by a superb Faraji sliding challenge, then Michael Termanini drove into the box only to drag his shot wide and in the end, both teams had to settle for a share of the spoils. 

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has announced the draw mechanism for the league stage of the AFC Champions League Elite 2026-27, with the draw scheduled for August 18 at the AFC headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.The new season will feature 32 clubs in an expanded format for the first time since the competition was restructured, with 16 teams from the West region and 16 from the East. The clubs in each region will be divided into four levels, with each team playing eight matches against eight different opponents, including four at home and four away.The top eight teams from each region will advance to the round of 16, which will be held from March 1 to 17. The competition will then move to Saudi Arabia for the combined finals, featuring the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final from April 23 to May 1.In the West region, the first level includes defending champions Al Ahli of Saudi Arabia, Al Ain of the UAE, Qatar's Al Sadd and Iran's Esteghlal.The second level features Saudi Arabia's Al Nassr, Uzbekistan's Nasaf Qarshi, Iraq's Al Quwa Al Jawiya and UAE side Shabab Al Ahli.The third level consists of Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal, Qatar's Al Gharafa, Iran's Tractor and UAE side Al Wasl.The fourth level includes Saudi Arabia's Al Qadsiah and Al Ittihad, Qatar's Al Shamal and Uzbekistan's Pakhtakor.According to the AFC's draw mechanism, clubs will not be assigned eight opponents individually. Instead, the draw will use a fixed grid comprising four columns - A, B, C and D - in the West region.The four first-level clubs will be drawn into positions A1, B1, C1 and D1, followed by the second-level clubs into A2, B2, C2 and D2, and the same process will be applied to the third and fourth levels.The AFC said the draw will protect clubs from the same national association by ensuring they are not placed in adjacent columns, preventing them from facing each other in the league stage.The principle of sporting fairness will also be applied to limit the repetition of home or away match patterns between clubs from specific national associations.An electronic draw system will apply these restrictions and prevent any conflicts that could interrupt the draw process. 

Al Sadd breathed life into their AFC Champions League Elite hopes with a 2-0 win against Tractor FC at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha Tuesday. The win moved Qatar’s Al Sadd to eight points while it was Tractor’s first defeat, with the Iran side having already confirmed last 16 qualification.Al Sadd’s early high pressing game almost came to fruition in the ninth minute when Akram Afif whipped in a cross for Roberto Firmino, whose glancing header drifted just wide off the left post. The Iranian side made their presence felt five minutes later with Domagoj Drozdek getting at the end of a counter-attacking move, forcing Al Sadd keeper Meshaal Barsham into a save.Al Sadd refused to let Tractor settle as they stayed on the offensive with Rafa Mujica, Giovani and Boualem Khoukhi all threatening from inside the box.Tractor continued to look dangerous on the counter and they almost punished Al Sadd in the 32nd minute when Drozdek set up Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh at the top of the box, only for the midfielder to drag his effort wide.Al Sadd came knocking on Tractor’s door in the 52nd minute with Hashim Ali seeing his deflected shot from inside the area sail over the bar, while Barsham stayed sharp to tip over Hosseinzadeh’s effort off a counter-attacking move.The Qatari side’s positive approach saw them take the lead in the 61st minute after Afif nodded Pedro Miguel’s cross into the path of Mujica, who controlled beautifully before slotting past Tractor keeper Alireza Beiranvand.Barsham, who had a quiet first half, stayed calm to deflect ​​Regi Lushkja’s stinging shot in the 73rd minute before Tibor Halilovic wasted another opportunity for Tractor to draw level when he dragged his effort just wide off the right post.Al Sadd came close to netting their second in the 83rd minute but Claudinho saw his close-range effort saved by Beiranvand before Hashim sent the follow-up over the bar.Firmino guaranteed the victory for Al Sadd in the 89th minute after Claudinho set-up the Brazilian at the far post for an easy finish. Champions in 2011, Al Sadd will target another three points in their final League Stage clash against Saudi Arabia’s Al Ittihad Club, with the hope it will be enough to take them through.Al Sadd coach Roberto Mancini praised his side’s performance, describing the match as difficult but highlighting a strong second-half display. “The match was tough and we performed well, especially in the second half,” Mancini said at the post-match press conference. “We created many chances after the break and faced an opponent that had not lost in the tournament this season. It was very important for us to secure this win over Tractor.”He added that Al Sadd will continue to fight for their chances of progression, saying the team will hold on to its hopes going forward.Meanwhile, Al Sadd star Akram Afif, who was named man of the match, thanked the fans for their support. “I thank the Al Sadd supporters who stood by us in this difficult game,” Afif said. “This was our second victory and an important one that we really needed. Our qualification chances are still open and we will keep pushing until the final match.” 

Qatar’s Al Gharafa will have to be at their best if they are to stop Al Wahda in their AFC Champions League Elite group tie at the at Thani bin Jassim Stadium Monday. Al Gharafa sit ninth in the standings with just three points while UAE’s Al Wahda have already confirmed their pre-quarter-finals spot. Al Gharafa head coach Pedro Martinez is of wary of the challenge. “We are facing a very important match. We are targeting victory to revive our chances of qualifying for the pre-quarter-finals,” says Martinez. “Our preparations went smoothly. The players are in good technical condition and their level is better than before the Arab Cup break,” he said. Al Gharafa last savoured victory in round two match and will have no margin for error against Al Wahda. They are three points behind eighth-placed Al Ittihad Club and a fourth defeat in a row could result in their final two matches being reduced to meaningless affairs. Only Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal have performed better than Al Wahda this season and the UAE side will be determined to secure a fourth consecutive victory. **media[396300]**It will mean equalling their best ever winning run in the AFC Champions League and Al Wahda will fancy their chances against an Al Gharafa side who have been unable to translate their domestic form onto the continental stage. “The match against Al Gharafa will be tough. They are a strong team, top the Qatari league, and have outstanding players. They will push hard to keep their qualification hopes alive,” head coach of Al Wahda Demis Teixeira said.  Al Duhail vs Tractor Tractor FC will confirm their round of 16 spot with victory against Al Duhail when the sides meet in the AFC Champions League Elite group match at the At Yadegar-e-Emam Stadium in Tabriz Monday. Iran’s Tractor is third in the West Zone standings with 11 points, four ahead of sixth-placed Al Duhail of Qatar. Having opened their campaign with two draws, a three-match winning run means Tractor are within touching distance of the round of 16 and they will aim to maximise home ground advantage against Al Duhail. Defensive resilience has been the back bone of their campaign, with Tractor having kept four clean sheets but they are winless in their last two meetings with Al Duhail. Al Duhail kept their hopes alive with a stunning 4-2 win against Saudi Arabia's Al Ittihad Club on Matchday Five but will face a stiff test against a confident Tractor. Their away form on the continent has been poor, with three defeats in their last four matches and walking away empty handed will leave them in a perilous position. 

Saudi's Al Ahli staved off a second half fightback to defeat Qatar's Al Sadd 2-1 in the AFC Champions League Elite tie at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium Tuesday.Riyad Mahrez’s first half strike was cancelled out by Claudinho in the 63rd minute, only for Matheus Goncalves to respond with the winner five minutes later to seal a third victory for the defending champions. Al Sadd, who suffered a 3-1 defeat against Al Hilal SFC in their previous, dominated the opening exchanges with Rafa Mujica seeing his close range effort blocked in the seventh minute with Roger Ibanez and Matteo Dams marshalling Al Ahli’s backline.Al Ahli stayed calm under pressure and were bailed out of trouble in the 25th minute when Edouard Mendy produced a stunning sequence of saves, first denying Akram Afif from distance, then Roberto Firmino on the rebound before Mujica’s close range finish was ruled out for offside.Al Ahli began to find their rhythm with Enzo Millot and Franck Kessie pulling the strings in midfield, while Al Sadd’s early momentum was beginning to fade with Paulo Otavio seeing his shot go wide just after the half-hour mark. Al Ahli made their next attack count in the 34th minute with Millot setting up Mahrez after a clever buildup, with the Algerian finishing brilliantly with a low shot past Al Sadd keeper Meshaal Barsham.The Qatari side came close to finding the equaliser in first half stoppage time with Mujica rattling the woodwork from inside the box before Mohamed Camara’s long-range drive was comfortably collected by Mendy. Al Sadd started the second half with renewed confidence with Tarek Salman shooting high from distance, while Mujica missed the target by a whisker when he angled his headed attempt just wide of the left post.Their patience was rewarded in the 63rd minute after Afif pushed through the centre to set up Claudinho, who struck a powerful drive from just inside the box into the top right corner. The Saudi Pro League side regained the lead five minutes later when Galeno played the ball wide to Goncalves, who scored from the tightest of angles past the flailing hands of Barsham.Kessie thought he had furthered Al Ahli’s advantage in the 77th minute after a well-worked buildup involving Galeno and Feras Al Brikan supplying the nodded assist was ruled out for offside. A deflated Al Sadd were left frustrated in the closing stages with Al Ahli keeping the door shut to secure the victory.

Al Duhail secured their first win after defeating Shabab Al Ahli 4-1 in their AFC Champions League Elite tie at the Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium Monday.It was a stunning victory as UAE’s Shabab Al Ahli had come into the tie very much in form, having accumulated seven points from their earlier matches while Al Duhail had only managed a draw from their preceding games.Al Duhail survived an early blunder when Federico Cartabia pounced on Bogdan Planic’s stray pass to find Sultan Adil but keeper Bautista Burke came to the rescue, denying the forward inside the opening minute. Luis Alberto turned the tables on Shabab Al Ahli a minute later when he threaded a sublime pass to Edmílson Junior on the left flank with the Brazilian cutting inside before unleashing a rasping shot, touching the fingertips of keeper Hamad Al Meqbaali before nestling into the bottom right corner.The Qatari outfit thought they had a penalty in the fourth minute following Benjamin Bourigeaud’s apparent handball inside the area but the decision was ruled out for a free-kick at the edge of the box, which Cartabia sent wide.Al Duhail continued to dominate, coming agonisingly close when Krzysztof Piatek struck the post after a clever exchange with Marco Verratti.Their pressure paid off in the 39th minute when Benjamin Bourigeaud had the time and space to send a curling effort from just above the box past Al Meqbaali off Edmilson’s corner.Shabab Al Ahli refused to give up and reduced the deficit three minutes later with Breno Cascardo converting Cartabia’s corner with a glancing header.Shabab Al Ahli started the second half brightly, with Guilherme Bala firing narrowly wide from distance in the 52nd minute, while Yuri Cesar saw his close-range effort blocked following a period of sustained pressure.Al Duhail, however, put the brakes on Shabab Al Ahli’s momentum in the 57th minute with Adil Boulbina latching on to Benjamin Bourigeaud’s cutback and rifling his shot into the corner.Shabab Al Ahli escaped going further behind in the 65th minute when Al Meqbaali was forced to tip over Bourigeaud’s effort from just above the box before the shot stopper guessed the right way to deny Piatek from the spot after Mateus Henrique conceded a penalty for bringing down Edmílson.The Emiratis threatened through Kauan Santos in the 76th minute, who saw his stinging free-kick palmed away by Burke while at the other end, Al Meqbaali was kept on his toes, denying Luis Alberto from distance.Boulbina was denied his second after hitting the left post in the 79th minute with Al Duhail completing the emphatic win through Luis Alberto’s strike in stoppage time.

Al Hilal continued the perfect start to their campaign with a 3-1 victory over Al Sadd in their AFC Champions League Elite 2025-26 tie Tuesday.Strikes from Yusuf Akcicek, Kalidou Koulibaly and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic steered Simone Inzaghi’s side to a third victory while Al Sadd’s wait for a triumph continued as they suffered defeat after having started with two draws.Al Hilal, who were missing Joao Cancelo and Salem al-Dawsari, made five changes to the starting line-up that defeated Al Ettifaq 5-0 in a Saudi Pro League tie on Friday while Al Sadd introduced four changes from their last continental stage outing against United Arab Emirates’ Sharjah.Following a cagey start, the home side had the first look at goal in the 10th minute after Ruben Neves helped set up Kaio Cesar from a corner, only for the Brazilian midfielder to fire wide off the right post.Al Sadd were almost punished in the 18th minute when Milinkovic-Savic and Abdullah Al Hamddan combined to split open their defence, only for Savic’s effort to be parried away by keeper Meshaal Barsham.Another lapse followed in the 23rd minute as Mohamed Kanno’s cross found Milinkovic-Savic, who had the time and space to pick his spot but missed his target from the top of the box but Al Hilal made no mistake two minutes later.The pressure finally got to the Qatari side after they failed to deal with a Santos Almeida free-kick, allowing Koulibaly to nudge the ball into the path of Akcicek, who slotted home from close range. The Qatari side were caught out again in the 40th minute after Ruben Neves whipped in a cross for Koulibaly to power home with a header.The four-time Asian champions threatened to extend their advantage in the second half with Ahmed Suhail and Milinkovic-Savic coming close two minutes after the restart, while Marcos Leonardo saw his soft close range attempt parried away by Barsham.Against the run of play, Al Sadd pulled one back in the 63rd minute when a clever Pedro Miguel pass found Roberto Firmino - who tasted continental glory with Al Ahli Saudi FC last season - to slot home.Sergio Alegre’s side came knocking again 10 minutes later when Pedro Miguel released Paulo Otavio inside the box, only for Koulibaly to intervene with a clearance. Al Hilal, however, put the game to bed in the 82nd minute with Milinkovic-Savic curling a stunning free-kick over the Al Sadd wall past a sprawling Barsham.Al Hilal had a chance to extend their lead in stoppage time after Abdullah Al Yazidi conceded a penalty but Barsham kept out Cesar’s spot-kick but it did not dampen the gloss on their victory. Al Hilal will seek a fourth win against Al Gharafa SC on November 3 while Al Sadd will play Al Ahli Saudi FC a day later.

Qatar football giants Al Sadd will be eyeing a win against Saudi side Al Hilal on Tuesday when the two powerful sides meet in an AFC Champions League Elite 2025/26 clash.Al Hilal will expect to stay on the winning ways when they face the Qatari side on Tuesday.Al Hilal, the four-time Asian champions, are the only side in the West Zone with a perfect record while Al Sadd opened their campaign with two draws.Al Hilal will take to the pitch with confidence as they are unbeaten in each of their last 13 home games in the AFC Champions League Elite - with the last 11 being wins.Victory Tuesday will mean the outright longest winning streak by any side at home in the competition, a record currently shared with Japan’s Yokohama F Marinos.Al Hilal, however, are winless in their last two meetings with Al Sadd but did beat the Qatari champions in the two matches prior to that.Al Sadd’s slow start to the season led to the departure of head coach Felix Sanchez, with the Spaniard’s compatriot Sergio Alegre taking charge on an interim basis. Alegre couldn’t have picked a tougher match to start his tenure but if Al Sadd do register a win, it could well spark a turnaround in their fortunes.Alegre, however, said during a press conference on Monday: “A tough and strong match awaits us against Al Hilal. We have prepared well for this match and I hope we will perform at our best. We fear nothing. We have a distinguished group of players, and our goal is to play a strong match and achieve a positive result.”Two-time AFC Asian Cup winning captain and an Al Sadd stalwart Hassan al-Haydos said on Monday: “We know Al Hilal’s strengths and weaknesses. We must give it our best. We must also give our complete focus during the match. After Qatar qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup (last week), our morale has improved, and I hope it will be reflected in the match against Al Hilal.”Al Hilal’s Italian coach, Simone Inzaghi, Monday emphasised the importance of winning Tuesday’s AFC Champions League match, adding that his team is at the top of their group and the goal is to ‘maintain that position’. Inzaghi on Monday admired the strength of the opposing team, saying: “We followed Al Sadd closely, as they performed admirably in two matches. We must prepare well for the match in order to maintain our top position.”Regarding the pressure of ACL matches, Inzaghi said that their focus is solely on Tuesday’s match, stressing that the team will face numerous matches in the coming period, and that all members of the squad are ‘ready for those matches’.Regarding Salem al-Dawsari’s injury, Inzaghi said al-Dawsari will not participate in the match due to the injury he sustained while playing for the national team.“He is an important player and we hope he returns to action as soon as possible. Everyone is monitoring the progress of his condition,” he said.

Hosts Al Wahda came back from going a goal behind to remain unbeaten in the AFC Champions League Elite 2025/26 as Jose Morais’ side notched up a 3-1 win over Qatar’s Al Duhail at Abu Dhabi's Al Nahyan Stadium on Monday.Kryzsztof Piatek had given the visitors a 20th minute lead but an Omar Khribin penalty 15 minutes later levelled the scores before Brahima Diarra put Al Wahda in front two minutes into stoppage time and Ala Zouhir hit a spectacular third in the 67th minute.The result moves Al Wahda onto seven points from their first three games while Al Duhail are still looking for their first win, with Djamel Belmadi’s side on one point.Al Wahda had impressed in the opening exchanges, only for Morais’ side to go behind.Dusan Tadic sliced his close-range effort wide of the Al Duhail goal in the 12th minute after being played in on goal by Zouhir as the home side made a positive start with the former Ajax Amsterdam playmaker to the fore.Zouhir unlocked the visiting defence again three minutes later when he muscled his way past the defence to clip in a cross from the right that the unmarked Caio Canedo slammed over the bar from 15 yards out.It was against the run of play, then, that Al Duhail took the lead as the halfway point in the half approached.Sultan Al Brake’s perfect pass from 35 yards out sliced through the Al Wahda defence to find Adil Boulbina as he scampered towards the byeline, the winger cutting the ball back first time to set up Piatek to push his shot over from inside the six yard box.Jean-Charles Castelletto’s pull on Khribin’s shirt saw referee Gulmurodi Sadullo point to the penalty spot and the Syria international showed no hesitation to slam his spot-kick beyond Arthur Desmas as dived the wrong way.Two minutes into time added on at the end of the half, Al Wahda went in front.Tadic’s clever flick over the defence found Diarra and, while his initial attempt was headed away by defender Youssef Ayman, the midfielder’s persistence ensured he netted at the second attempt from a tight angle after sidestepping Desmas’ dive.Al Wahda sealed the win in spectacular fashion midway through the second half, Tadic seeing his shot from 25 yards take a deflection off Cestelletto and Zouhir reacted, springing into the air to launch an unstoppable overhead strike beyond the helpless goalkeeper.