Al Hilal beat Al Sadd 2-0 in Doha in AFC Champions League Elite

Saudi side Al Hilal defeated hosts Al Sadd 2-0 on the evening of Tuesday, 13 October 2026 at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, in the second round of the group stage of the AFC Champions League Elite, preserving their perfect record after two matches.

Ollie Watkins opened the scoring in the 40th minute with a low shot following a well-worked move on the right flank involving Mohammed Al-Muhaziri, Sergej Milinković-Savić and Sultan Mendesh, marking his first goal for Al Hilal in the continental competition.

Ruben Neves extended the lead from a penalty in the 65th minute after a handball by Paulo Otávio was given by the video assistant referee, following an attack in which Watkins received a pass from Gabriel Martinelli.

Al Sadd had been close to taking the lead before Al Hilal's opener, when a powerful shot by Mohammed Al-Manaei struck the left post in the 32nd minute after an accurate pass from Akram Afif, and in the second half Kalidou Koulibaly cleared a Roberto Firmino attempt off the goal line after it had beaten the goalkeeper.

With this win Al Hilal moved to six points, temporarily sharing top spot with UAE's Al Ain and Iran's Esteghlal, while Al Sadd remained pointless after their second consecutive defeat.

Al Hilal prepare to face Qatar's Al Shamal on 27 October, while Al Sadd will travel to Dammam to meet Al Qadsiah on 26 October.

Al Hilal's delegation reached Doha by land after King Khalid Airport in Riyadh was closed, and the team under coach Simone Inzaghi settled the tie despite the absence of Crisenio Somerville and Theo Hernandez from the squad.

The match was less dramatic than the sides' round-of-16 meeting last season, which finished 3-3 and was subsequently decided by a penalty shootout in Al Sadd's favour.

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