Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Friday, Aug 08, 2025

Al-Hilal thrash Al-Duhail 7-0 to reach AFC Champions League final

Defending Champions Al-Hilal of Saudi Arabia thrashed Qatar’s Al-Duhail 7-0 to reach the AFC Champions League final in the match held at Al-Thumama Stadium in Qatar on Sunday.
In its bid to win the title for a record fifth time, Al-Hilal will take on Japan’s Urawa Red Diamonds in the two-legged final to be held on April 29 and May 6. Nigeria star Odion Ighalo scored four goals while two goals came from Mali striker Moussa Merega and one from Salem Al-Dawsari.

Former Manchester United and Watford striker Ighalo scored his first goal within 90 seconds after kick-off. The 33-year-old Nigerian headed into an empty goal to open the rout and had an equally easy tap-in for his second goal after 10 minutes. The Duhail defense was torn apart from the very beginning of the match.

Marega scored his first goal 3-0 in the 14th minute, then scored a second goal in the 27th minute, prompting the distraught Al-Duhail fans to quit the stadium. Salem Al-Dawsari added to the pain of the Qatari team in the 38th minute.

Marega cleverly back-heeled for Salem Al-Dawsari to make the score 5-0 at the break. Marega had a 41st-minute volley ruled out for offside by the video assistant referee. Ighalo kissed the ground in thanks as the half-time whistle blew.

The start of the second half was similar to what happened in the beginning, as Ighalo completed his hat-trick after a pass from Al-Dawsari in the 48th minute. Ighalo shot his fourth goal in the 62nd minute before being substituted by Ramon Diaz.

Ighalo ensured Al-Hilal achieved the biggest victory in the history of the semi-finals in the AFC Champions League when he exchanged passes with Abdullah Al-Hamdan to shoot into the far corner in the 62nd minute.

Al-Duhail coach, former Argentina star Hernan Crespo, was quickly made to regret his pre-match comments that he had a “strong belief” that his side could go through.

The biggest win in the tournament overall was when Al-Hilal defeated Bani Yas of the United Arab Emirates 7-1 in 2012.

Al-Hilal will face Urawa Red Diamonds in the final, as it will host the first leg in Saudi Arabia on April 29, with the second leg on May 6. Al-Hilal defeated Urawa when they last met in the final in 2019.

Al-Hilal entered the final of the FIFA Club World Cup for the first time in its history. The Saudi club qualified for the final after a stunning 3-2 win over Brazil’s Flamengo football club. But it lost to the defending champions Real Madrid, who won their fifth title following a 5–3 win against Al-Hilal in the final held in Morocco earlier this month.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
Iran's Parliament Votes to Suspend Cooperation with Nuclear Watchdog
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
Explosions Rock Doha as Iranian Missiles Target Qatar
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Oman Set to Introduce Personal Income Tax, First in Gulf
×