Ollie Watkins double earns Al Hilal victory and hands Shabab Al Ahli first Asian defeat

Al Hilal returned to winning ways in the AFC Champions League Elite with a 2-0 victory over Shabab Al Ahli, inflicting the UAE side’s first defeat of the current competition.

The match, played on Tuesday at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, was the fourth round of the league phase. The result lifted Al Hilal to nine points and second place in the West Region, three points behind leaders Al Ain, who have 12.

Shabab Al Ahli also have nine points but dropped to fourth in the West Region after suffering their first loss of the tournament.

Al Hilal took the lead after only six minutes. English forward Ollie Watkins collected a pass from Senegal international Kalidou Koulibaly before finishing into the net.

The Saudi club then faced an early selection problem as manager Simone Inzaghi was forced to make two substitutions before the 34-minute mark.

The first came in the 28th minute, when Mohammed Al-Mahzari replaced fellow countryman Sabri Dahal at right-back. Dahal had not appeared to be struggling with an injury.

Six minutes later, Inzaghi introduced Nasser Al-Dawsari for French midfielder Simon Buabri, who was hurt while carrying the ball through midfield.

Those changes did not prevent Al Hilal from extending their advantage. Watkins scored again in the first minute of the second half, turning a cross from Turkish defender Yusuf Akcicek into the Shabab Al Ahli goal.

The victory restored Al Hilal’s momentum in the competition after their unexpected 3-1 defeat by Qatar’s Al Shamal in the previous round.

It also secured a second-place position for Inzaghi’s side in the West Region, while Shabab Al Ahli’s unbeaten start to the Asian campaign came to an end.