Sardar Azmoun's Brace Secures Shabab Al Ahli Victory; Al Hilal Also Triumphs

Sardar Azmoun was the star of the show, netting both goals to propel Shabab Al Ahli to a significant away victory against Al Ittihad in the AFC Champions League on Tuesday night. This win propelled the UAE club to a perfect six points from their opening two matches. In contrast, Saudi Pro League side Al Ittihad remains on a single point after their opening draw against Al Shamal SC of Qatar last month.

Despite a vociferous home crowd in Jeddah, Al Ittihad started brightly, with Ahmed Al Julaydan forcing a save from Shabab Al Ahli goalkeeper Matheus Donelli in the sixth minute. However, Shabab Al Ahli took the lead shortly after. Guilherme Bala made a strong run down the left flank before setting up an unmarked Azmoun, who calmly finished the chance.

Al Ittihad sought an immediate equalizer, and Steven Bergwijn tested Donelli from distance in the 13th minute. Their hopes were dashed just three minutes later when Shabab Al Ahli extended their lead. Reza Ghandipour, who had just come on as a substitute for the injured Bala, played a through ball to Azmoun. The forward outpaced his defenders and scored from a tight angle to double the advantage.

Al Ittihad coach Jens Wissing acknowledged the impact of the goals, stating, “We conceded two goals because of easy mistakes, which made the task difficult afterwards.” He added, “My job as a coach is to work with the players. We were better in the second half and we reached the opponent's goal, but we were not successful.” Wissing further commented on their offensive strategy, noting, “We played with three forwards because we had more crosses, and it was possible to make use of one of the crosses. We did not play the game well. We had many chances and we could have been better.”

In another AFC Champions League fixture, Al Hilal secured their second consecutive win by defeating Al Sadd 2-0. Ollie Watkins opened the scoring for the Saudi Pro League leaders in the first half, and a penalty converted by Ruben Neves sealed the victory. This result marks a second consecutive defeat for Qatar's Al Sadd.

Al Hilal manager Simone Inzaghi expressed his satisfaction with his team's performance, saying, “I am happy with the players' performance. We produced a big performance and controlled most of the game, and I saw a wonderful display from the team.” Inzaghi also lauded Gabriel Martinelli for his contribution, stating, “He is a big player and we are lucky to have him with us. He always proves his high quality and his ability to serve the team and benefit it in more than one different position.”