Al Hilal dominated Saturday's first leg at the King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh but had to settle for a 1-0 win, thanks to André Carrillo's 60th minute header.

The advantage could have been wider but a combination of missed chances and great defending by Urawa meant Al Hilal will only take a slim lead to Saitama.

In a repeat of the 2017 final which Urawa won 2-1 on aggregate after drawing the first leg 1-1 in the Saudi capital, it was Al Hilal who controlled the vast majority of the game, recording 22 shots to the J.League club’s two.

But Al Hilal only have one goal to show for their dominance, with Andre Carrillo’s 60th-minute header the only time the visiting defence was breached as the 1-0 scoreline leaves the contest intriguingly balanced ahead of the return meeting at Saitama Stadium on November 24.

With the international break to take centre stage over the next week before the return meeting at Saitama Stadium on November 24, the-AFC.com looks back at the facts and figures that caught the eye at Riyadh's King Saud University Stadium.

Photos: Al Hilal, Urawa Red Diamonds

Al Shalhoub was an unused substitute as Al Hilal narrowly edged their visitors thanks to an Andre Carrillo header in the second half, and the two sides lock horns again in two weeks’ time for the title decider in Saitama.

A 1-0 first-leg win, and importantly no away goals conceded, can be seen as a positive for Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal, who in their previous final appearances drew (2017) and lost (2014) the first legs.

However, Urawa, too, may see the result as somewhat satisfactory. Missing their first choice goalkeeper Shusaku Nishikawa through a one-match suspension, and on the back foot for most of the tie, a single goal deficit with a trip to their home fortress to come may be deemed acceptable.

Al Hilal were good value for the win and could have won by a bigger margin but the fact that, said Otsuki, the Saudi Arabia side didn't gives Urawa a fighting chance in the November 24 return leg in Saitama.

Al Hilal secured a 1-0 win over Japan's Urawa Red Diamonds in the first leg at the King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh on Saturday.

André Carrillo's 60th minute header separated the sides at the end of the 90 minutes, although Al Hilal could have well won by a bigger margin.