JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia ¨C Al-Hilal powered into the semifinals of the Asian Champions League Elite in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Friday as Jorge Jesus¡¯ Saudi Pro League side demolished South Korea¡¯s Gwangju 7-0 to move closer to a record-extending fifth continental title.
Goals from Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Marcos Leonardo and Salem al-Dawsari inside the first 33 minutes sent the four-time champion on its way, with Aleksandar Mitrovic, Malcom, Nasser al-Dawsari and Abdullah al-Hamddan on target after the interval.
¡°The players who played today were under a lot of pressure but they played at their usual level,¡± said Jesus. ¡°Without their commitment we wouldn¡¯t achieve what we achieved today. We are on the right path.¡±
The result at a raucous King Abdullah Sports City Stadium means Al-Hilal will take on the winners of Saturday¡¯s quarterfinal between fellow Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli and Thailand¡¯s Buriram United.
Al-Hilal, the continental champion in 1991, 2000, 2019 and 2021 and the runner-up on five other occasions, was several levels above the K. League side, which was appearing in the competition for the first time.
Milinkovic-Savic gave the Saudi side the perfect start in the sixth minute, with the midfielder peeling away from his marker to meet Salem al-Dawsari¡¯s corner with a glancing header that beat Kim Kyeong-in for pace from the edge of the 6-yard box.
Goalkeeper Yassine Bounou denied the South Korean squad the opportunity to strike back almost immediately when he blocked Jasir Asani¡¯s attempt after the Albanian winger had been played in behind the Al-Hilal defense.
Gwangju was to rue that miss in the 25th minute when Leonardo doubled Al-Hilal¡¯s lead, with the Brazilian beating Kim low and at his near post when he met Malcom¡¯s cutback with a first-time strike.
Eight minutes later, Salem al-Dawsari effectively killed the game after racing on to Leonardo¡¯s ball from deep inside the Al-Hilal half, outpacing the Gwangju defense before calmly sliding his shot to Kim¡¯s right.
Mitrovic hit the fourth goal 10 minutes into the second half, making no mistake as he slotted in Milinkovic-Savic¡¯s bobbling cross from the right with a first-time finish.
Malcom beat Kim with 11 minutes remaining and substitute Nasser al-Dawsari¡¯s deflected strike gave Al-Hilal its sixth goal five minutes later. Al-Hamddan¡¯s unstoppable right-foot shot in the 88th minute completed Gwangju¡¯s humiliation.
The latter stages of the revamped Asian Champions League Elite are being played in Jeddah, with Cristiano Ronaldo¡¯s Al-Nassr due to face Yokohama F. Marinos on Saturday.
Kawasaki Frontale take on Qatar¡¯s Al-Sadd on Sunday, with the semifinals to be held on Tuesday and Wednesday. The final will be played on May 3.
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