Jeddah: Al Sadd SC produced a night of remarkable resilience to reach the AFC Champions League Elite quarter-finals, defeating Al Hilal SFC 4–2 on penalties after a pulsating 3–3 draw across extra time at Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, yesterday.
Captain Akram Afif held his nerve to convert the decisive penalty, sending Al Sadd into the quarter-finals in dramatic fashion.
The Wolves showed no signs of slowing down as they fought back three times in regulation and extra time before sealing a famous victory in the shootout.
They will now face Japan’s Vissel Kobe in the last eight on Thursday.
Al Sadd began brightly, exploiting the absence of injured defensive leader Kalidou Koulibaly, with Mohamed Camara testing Yassine Bounou early through a long-range effort that forced a sharp save. Roberto Firmino also threatened in the opening exchanges, pressing high and forcing Al Hilal into early errors.
Despite the strong start from the visitors, Al Hilal struck first in the 29th minute. Theo Hernández chased down an overhit pass and delivered a cutback for Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, who finished calmly to open the scoring.
Al Sadd responded quickly. Seven minutes later, a defensive mix-up allowed Romain Saiss to set up Claudinho, who lifted a delicate finish over Bounou to restore parity before half-time.
The Saudi side regained control after the break, with Ruben Neves producing a moment of class in the 55th minute, threading a pass for Salem Al Dawsari to slot home. But Al Sadd hit back again almost immediately, as Rafael Mujica latched onto Claudinho’s pass to level the score once more.
Al Hilal thought they had sealed it when substitute Marcos Leonardo finished from Karim Benzema’s cutback in the 67th minute. Yet Al Sadd refused to yield, with Firmino heading home from a Soria cross to complete a third comeback and force extra time.
Both sides pushed for a winner, with Pablo Mari going closest for Al Hilal, firing just wide in the 114th minute.
With no breakthrough, penalties decided the contest. Firmino missed the opening spot-kick for Al Sadd, but Al Hilal faltered with misses from Benzema and Saimon Bouabre before Afif sealed the win.
Mahrez fires Al Ahli past Al Duhail
Earlier yesterday, Al Ahli Saudi edged Al Duhail 1-0 after extra time at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium to book their place in the quarter-finals, thanks to a late Riyad Mahrez winner.
The defending champions survived a dramatic finish after Ivan Toney saw a penalty saved by Al Duhail goalkeeper Salah Zakaria, which initially looked set to take the match to a shoot-out.
However, Mahrez struck a brilliant free-kick from around 25 yards in the 117th minute to seal the tie.
The match was tightly contested, with Zakaria producing several key saves to deny Toney and Mahrez during regular time, while Edouard Mendy kept out Benjamin Bourigeaud at the other end. Al Duhail also came close through Boulbina and Enzo Millot, both hitting the woodwork in a tense second half.
Extra time brought further drama as Galeno and Ibanez threatened for Al Ahli before Toney’s missed penalty. Mahrez, however, delivered the decisive moment to send Al Ahli through, where they will face Johor Darul Ta’zim in the last eight on Friday.
