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Seydou Sano’s late strike kept Al Gharafa on track for the AFC Champions League Elite round of 16 after the Qatari side defeated Al Wahda 1-0 at the Thani bin Jassim stadium in Al Rayyan. The last gasp win moved Gharafa to six points with two matches remaining while UAE’s Al Wahda, who suffered their first defeat of the season, remained on 13. Al Wahda, already assured of their Round of 16 berth, came into the tie seeking to maintain their momentum, while Al Gharafa needed victory to keep their hopes of advancing alive. Caio Canedo sounded the alarm in the 12th minute when he teased Al Qharafa keeper Khalifa Ababacar with a glancing header from inside the box off Ruben Canedo’s cross. Al Gharafa stayed firm a minute later to deny Lucas Pimenta’s header at the far post after Dusan Tadic had set him up with a cross, which was dealt with by Aron Gunnarsson. The home side came close to taking the lead in the 39th minute but Florinel Coman’s effort was denied by the bar, with Facundo Kruspzky then scrambling to clear the ball off the line. Neither side was able to break the deadlock with Abdulla Hamad sending his shot from distance wide while Coman missed with his attempt from the edge of the six-yard-box. Yacine Brahimi almost caused problems for Al Wahda two minutes into the restart after the Algerian threaded a neat pass to Alvaro Djalo, whose heavy first touch sent his volley just over the bar. Things then took a turn for the worse for Al Wahda in the 53rd minute after keeper Mohamed Al Shamsi was shown the red card for a foul on Coman, who had a clear path on goal but Brahimi wasted the chance to put Al Gharafa in front after striking the bar from the penalty spot. Al Gharafa were themselves reduced to 10 men just before the hour mark after Dame Traore picked up his second yellow card for a wild tackle on Guga. Pedro Martins sent Joselu into the mix and it almost paid off in the 77th minute when Alvaro Djalo cut the ball into the box for the Spaniard, who saw his close range effort cleared off the line by Sasa Ivkovic.The goal finally arrived for the Qatari side 10 minutes later off a corner when Sano struck from inside the box after Joselu directed the ball to Gunnarsson, who set the Senegalese up nicely for the winner. Duhail go down in Iran**media[396657]**In Tabriz, Iran, hosts Tractor FC booked their spot in the Round of 16 of the AFC Champions League Elite after fighting back to defeat Qatar's Al Duhail 2-1. The win means that with 14 points, Dragan Skocic’s side are guaranteed a top eight finish while Djamel Belmadi’s Al Duhail still have much to do if they are to advance.The visitors nearly sprung an opener inside the opening minute when Krzysztof Piatek produced a shot from distance that caught Alireza Beiranvand but the ball rolled just inches away from his left post. Tractor - one of three teams yet to taste defeat in the League Stage - threatened in the 16th minute when Tomislav Strkalj teed up his strike partner Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh on the edge of the box but the latter’s effort lacked the power to trouble Bautista Burke. Hosseinzadeh nearly capitalised on a melee in Al Duhail’s box in the 27th minute but saw his shot clip the top of the crossbar on the way over.Against the run of play, Al Duhail broke the deadlock eight minutes later after Mohammad Naderi tripped Edmilson Junior in the box, with Benjamin Bourigeaud confidently dispatching his penalty. Tractor began the second half in determined fashion, Burke needing to come out of his goal line to block Mahdi Hashmenezhad after Hosseinzadeh played a delightful through ball for the midfielder.The equaliser came shortly after on 51 minutes after Tibor Halilovic’s curling free-kick struck the upright with captain Shojae Khalilzadeh staying calm to sidefoot home the rebound. Beiranvand had to be on alert in the 74th minute, diving low to his left to deny Edmilson who had chested down Jean Castelletto’s raking pass and shot on the turn.Minutes later, Tractor were close to a winner when Hashemnezhad slalomed his way into the box past three markers before Youssouf Sabaly pulled off a fantastic sliding block. Just when it looked like the match was going to end in a stalemate, Hosseinzadeh secured the win for Tractor in stoppage time when his deflected shot from distance flew past Burke.

Al Sadd will be fighting to keep their AFC Champions League Elite hopes alive when they host Shabab Al Ahli on Tuesday, with the Qatari side languishing on just two points from five matches. Victory for the UAE club would confirm their place in the round of 16.Roberto Mancini’s first continental outing as Al Sadd coach ended in a 3-1 defeat to fellow Emirati side Al Wahda, and the Italian will be demanding a far more resilient performance from his players at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium.The two sides meet for the first time since 2014, with Al Sadd winless in the competition this season and having lost their last three matches in all competitions.Ahead of the encounter, Mancini stressed the importance of the fixture to Sadd’s qualification hopes. “We have a very important match ahead of us against a strong opponent. We will play to win so that we can climb the league standings,” Mancini said. “We are suffering from a shortage of players due to some joining their national teams for the Africa Cup of Nations, as well as injuries. Their absence will certainly have an impact, but despite that we are ready for the match.”The former Italy coach acknowledged the challenge posed by Shabab Al Ahli but underlined his side’s determination to remain in contention. “We know our position in the standings and we must do our best to maintain our hopes in the competition,” he said. “We will approach the match with the ambition to win, even though the task is difficult against a strong competitor with many distinguished players. This requires us to play with great focus.”In contrast, Shabab Al Ahli arrive in Doha in confident mood, having claimed three wins from five matches. Two more victories would see the Dubai club equal their best-ever run in continental competition, and with Al Sadd struggling for consistency, they will be confident of securing qualification.Shabab Al Ahli head coach Paulo Sousa praised his opponents while stressing the need for focus. “We will face a tough competitor and a team that has dominated Qatari football titles in recent years, with many good players,” said the Portuguese coach. “They are organised in all lines, and I am also happy to face Roberto Mancini, who is a capable coach with great experience.”Sousa added: “We want to continue delivering good performances and maintain our balanced progress in the standings. This match represents Al Sadd’s last chance to keep their qualification hopes alive, which means they will have a strong desire to win, and that requires us to remain fully focused.”

Al Sadd will be fighting to keep their AFC Champions League Elite hopes alive when they host Shabab Al Ahli on Tuesday, with the Qatari side languishing on just two points from five matches. Victory for the UAE club would confirm their place in the round of 16.Roberto Mancini’s first continental outing as Al Sadd coach ended in a 3-1 defeat to fellow Emirati side Al Wahda, and the Italian will be demanding a far more resilient performance from his players at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium.The two sides meet for the first time since 2014, with Al Sadd winless in the competition this season and having lost their last three matches in all competitions.Ahead of the encounter, Mancini stressed the importance of the fixture to Sadd’s qualification hopes. “We have a very important match ahead of us against a strong opponent. We will play to win so that we can climb the league standings,” Mancini said. “We are suffering from a shortage of players due to some joining their national teams for the Africa Cup of Nations, as well as injuries. Their absence will certainly have an impact, but despite that we are ready for the match.”The former Italy coach acknowledged the challenge posed by Shabab Al Ahli but underlined his side’s determination to remain in contention. “We know our position in the standings and we must do our best to maintain our hopes in the competition,” he said. “We will approach the match with the ambition to win, even though the task is difficult against a strong competitor with many distinguished players. This requires us to play with great focus.”In contrast, Shabab Al Ahli arrive in Doha in confident mood, having claimed three wins from five matches. Two more victories would see the Dubai club equal their best-ever run in continental competition, and with Al Sadd struggling for consistency, they will be confident of securing qualification.Shabab Al Ahli head coach Paulo Sousa praised his opponents while stressing the need for focus. “We will face a tough competitor and a team that has dominated Qatari football titles in recent years, with many good players,” said the Portuguese coach. “They are organised in all lines, and I am also happy to face Roberto Mancini, who is a capable coach with great experience.”Sousa added: “We want to continue delivering good performances and maintain our balanced progress in the standings. This match represents Al Sadd’s last chance to keep their qualification hopes alive, which means they will have a strong desire to win, and that requires us to remain fully focused.” 

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. 

Revitalised striker Serge Gnabry and teenage forward Lennart Karl helped inspire Bayern Munich to a come-from-behind 3-1 home win over Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League Tuesday.With Bayern trailing to a Joshua Kimmich own-goal midway through the second half and staring down the barrel of a second-successive European loss, Gnabry and Karl scored in quick succession to wrestle the match in Bayern's favour. Gnabry set up defender Jonathan Tah for a late goal to ensure Bayern claimed all three points and rose to second in the league phase standings, behind Arsenal on goal difference.Karl, 17, became the youngest player to score in three consecutive Champions League games. Despite the loss, the Portuguese champions sit ninth in the 36-team table with two games remaining. The first 24 sides make it through to the knockout rounds, with the top eight qualifying for the last 16 directly.Bayern coach Vincent Kompany made seven changes to his starting XI, recalling Harry Kane, Gnabry, Karl, Manuel Neuer and Tah who were rested on Saturday against Stuttgart with Sporting's visit in mind. Bayern have scored more goals than any other club in Europe's top-five leagues this season and went agonisingly close in the opening half.Karl's fifth-minute goal was ruled out for offside and Kane hit the post on the half-hour mark. Kane, Karl and Gnabry all forced Rui Silva into acrobatic stops before the break. Sporting's best chance in the opening half came when Geny Catamo laid on a precise cross which Tah almost guided into his own net, forcing Neuer into a reflex save.Some more Bayern friendly fire put Sporting in front early in the second period, with Neuer this time helpless as Kimmich deflected a Joao Simoes cross in with 54 minutes gone. The goal jolted Bayern into gear and the German side soon struck back to take the lead with two goals in four minutes.Unmarked at the back post, Gnabry tapped in a Michael Olise corner to level things up. Karl latched onto a Konrad Laimer pass before blasting in on the turn from a tight angle. With 13 minutes remaining, Kimmich and Tah made good on their defensive errors by combining for Bayern's third, with a little help from Gnabry.Kimmich looped in a dipping cross to Gnabry, who headed centrally for Tah to poke home. With three minutes remaining, Kompany withdrew Gnabry and brought Alphonso Davies onto the pitch, the Canada captain playing his first match since tearing his ACL in March. 

Liverpool’s miserable season hit another low on Wednesday when they slumped to a 4-1 defeat to PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League, their first loss in their last 14 games at Anfield in the group stage of Europe’s elite competition. Couhaib Driouech bagged a double, while Ivan Perisic – from the penalty spot – and Guus Til also scored to leave PSV 15th in the Champions League table with eight points. Liverpool, who have lost nine of their last 12 games across all competitions, dropped to 13th on nine points. The Reds got off to the worst possible start when a bizarre handball from captain Virgil van Dijk led to a PSV penalty in the sixth minute, with Perisic sending Giorgi Mamardashvili the wrong way and slotting home.The goal seemed to spark Liverpool into life and Dominik Szoboszlai tapped in a leveller in the 16th minute after keeper Matej Kovar saved Cody Gakpo’s shot but palmed the ball into the path of the Hungarian. Til restored PSV’s lead in the 56th minute with a perfectly timed run on to Mauro Junior’s through ball and just ahead of Milos Kerkez to poke it into the net past Mamardashvili. Substitute Driouech gave PSV a two-goal cushion in the 73rd after Ricardo Pepi launched a shot off the post and Driouech stroked in the rebound. Driouech completed his double in injury time when he easily tapped home a cross from Sergino Dest. “We went one-nil down but until halftime I thought we played a very good game,” Liverpool manager Arne Slot told TNT Sports. “At halftime, I don’t think anyone expected us to lose this game 4-1.” Liverpool had been hoping the European match could provide relief from their miserable domestic campaign as they had won three of their first four Champions League games to put themselves in position for a top-eight finish and a berth in the knockout rounds. They had 26 attempts to nine for the visitors on Wednesday, including a Van Dijk header that hit the underside of the crossbar. Gakpo also missed a sitter from the back post and Hugo Ekitike was denied by a fine save from Kovar. But the Reds looked nothing like the team who roared to the Premier League title last season and countless disgruntled fans left before the final whistle sounded on another loss, with Liverpool having already lost more games at Anfield this season than they did during the entire 2024-2025 campaign. “The only way is to go through it. We have to face where we are and fight really hard,” a despondent Slot said. “It would help if we don’t always get the same blow of conceding (an early) goal, because it’s not just the goal, it’s also the feeling. “After 45 minutes, I think everyone felt we should be ahead. And then instead, five minutes after halftime, we concede again,” he added. Results In Limassol: Pafos (CYP) 2 Monaco (FRA) 2 In Copenhagen: FC Copenhagen (DEN) 3 Kairat Almaty (KAZ) 2 In London: Arsenal (ENG) 3 Bayern Munich (GER) 1 In Madrid: Atletico Madrid (ESP) 2 Inter Milan (ITA) 1 In Frankfurt: Eintracht Frankfurt (GER) 0 Atalanta (ITA) 3 In Liverpool: Liverpool (ENG) 1 PSV Eindhoven (NED) 4 In Piraeus, Greece: Olympiacos (GRE) 3 Real Madrid (ESP) 4 In Paris: Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) 5 Tottenham (ENG) 3 In Lisbon: Sporting Lisbon (POR) 3 Club Brugge (BEL) 0 

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.

Bayer Leverkusen found some solace at home Sunday after a Champions League humbling by Paris Saint-Germain with a 2-0 win over Freiburg in the Bundesliga.Dismantled 7-2 by the European champions at the same venue five days ago, Leverkusen got back to winning ways thanks to strikes by Ernest Poku and Edmond Tapsoba either side of the break.The victory took the 2023-24 double winners to fourth spot in the table, two points clear of Stuttgart, who host lowly Mainz in Sunday's final match.Leverkusen midfielder Jonas Hofmann told DAZN his side "shook off the 7-2 defeat" to PSG with Sunday's victory.Leverkusen have now won four in a row in the Bundesliga as part of a seven-match domestic unbeaten run.Coach Kasper Hjulmand, who replaced the sacked Erik ten Hag two games into the league season, is yet to taste defeat in the Bundesliga.The loss was Freiburg's first in the league since August.These two sides played out a 2-2 draw in May but only three players who started for Leverkusen on Sunday were at the club last season.After 22 minutes, Spain midfielder Aleix Garcia played a clever one-two with Poku, who hit a low shot into the bottom right corner to give the hosts the lead.It was the eighth time in eight league games this season Leverkusen have scored first.The hosts doubled up seven minutes into the second half when Tapsoba muscled through the Freiburg defence to head in an Alejandro Grimaldo cross.With 15 minutes remaining, Freiburg were reduced to 10 men when Philipp Lienhart picked up a second yellow."I feel everything was decided even before the red card. It feels good," Hofmann added of Leverkusen's performance.

Al Rayyan were held to a 1-1 draw by Oman’s Al Nahda in the second round of the Gulf Club Champions League at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Musacat Wednesday.The hosts took the lead through Cameroonian striker Olomo in the 55th minute, but Rodrigo Moreno restored parity for Al Rayyan ten minutes later with a fine header. Despite dominating the closing stages and missing a penalty opportunity, Al Rayyan had to settle for a point from their second outing of the tournament.Al Rayyan had won their opening match in emphatic fashion 5-0 against Yemen’s Al Tadamun Hadramaut.

Al Rayyan will look to maintain their perfect start to the Gulf Club Champions League (GCCL) when they face Omani side Al Nahda this evening at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Muscat in a Group B clash.The Qatari giants come into the second round of the group stage brimming with confidence after a dominant 5-0 victory over Al Tadamun Hadramaut in their opening match. Now topping the group, Al Rayyan are aiming to consolidate their lead with another strong performance.Speaking ahead of the game, Al Rayyan head coach Artur Jorge underlined the importance of the fixture and his team’s ambitions. “We are heading into another match in the Gulf Championship against Al-Nahda, and we are aware of the importance of this match, which will not be easy,” said the Portuguese tactician during the pre-match press conference Tuesday.“Our goal is to continue winning in this tournament. We must do our best and perform at the level Al Rayyan is known for. We have great ambitions in this tournament, through which we hope to achieve the best results and reach the final. This requires all players to exert their utmost effort in every match.”Spanish forward Rodrigo Moreno, one of the standouts in the opening round, echoed his coach’s sentiments, stressing the team’s commitment to continuing their strong form. “Our preparations were good for this important match, through which we hope to continue our victories and achieve the desired result that will help us advance further in the tournament,” said Moreno.“We respect our opponents greatly, and we will play to continue our victories and achieve the three points we seek. This is an important tournament for us, and we seek to compete. We are ready for the challenge. We must maintain the same level we showed in the last match and play with the same enthusiasm in order to achieve victory.”

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.