Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Riyadh: Al Hilal coach Georgios Donis lauded his team’s display as last year’s beaten finalists handed Lekhwiya a 4-1 defeat in the first leg of their 2015 AFC Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday.
Carlos Eduardo scored twice while Ailton and Khalid Kaabi were also on the scoresheet as the two-time Asian champions took a significant step towards earning a place in the last four for the second season in a row.
Match report: Al Hilal 4-1 Lekhwiya
Our mistakes were punished laments Lekhwiya boss Belmadi
Al Hilal achieved the win despite playing the game behind closed doors at the King Fahd International Stadium and Donis (pictured) was lavish in his praise for his team.
“I want to congratulate the players as we played in difficult conditions whether it was the weather or playing without the support of our fans,” the Greek coach said.
“The players showed an excellent performance and we got a big win.”
Al Hilal took the lead in the 11th minute when Ailton charged down goalkeeper Amine Lecomte’s attempt to clear, the ball looping up before bouncing just over the goal line.
But Lekhwiya came back six minutes later when Youssef Msakni clipped the ball home following Nam Tae-hee’s through ball while Luiz Junior hit the side netting soon after when he should have scored.
Goals in the 33rd and 37th minutes for Kaabi – from the tightest of angles – and Eduardo, who scored from close range, gave Al Hilal a two-goal cushion going into the half-time break before Eduardo’s second four minutes from time put the Saudi club in total command of the tie.
“We started the match without concentration as we gave them a chance to level the scores and they nearly scored another goal,” said Donis.
“However, we finished the first half with a good lead which helped us to go into the second period with less pressure.
“We made many mistakes in the first half but we fixed things in the second period and scored a fourth goal which ended the match. I hope that we will have another good performance in the second leg in Doha.”
The teams will meet again in the Qatar capital on September 15.
Photo: WSG