Saudi Arabia’s prestigious Al Hilal’s record of winning consecutive official games has been stopped in the 2023-2024 AFC Champions League semifinals.
Al Hilal lost 2-4 in the first round of the AFC Champions League semifinals at Vienna’s Zayed Stadium in the early morning of the 18th (Korean time) against UAE powerhouse Al Ain. Al Hilal scored by Malcolm in the fourth minute of the second half and Salem Al Dossari in the 33rd minute of the second half, but it collapsed by Al Ain with Sufian Rahimi’s hat-trick and Alejandro Romero’s score.
As the club showed the most outstanding performance in the West Asian region of the AFC Champions League, it was expected to be an easy semifinal match. Moreover, as mentioned earlier, Al Hilal was enjoying 34 consecutive wins in official matches. For this reason, if Ulsan HDFC defeats Yokohama F Marinos and reaches the final of the tournament, it was considered to be the strongest competitor. Surprisingly, however, Al Ain caused a stir that toppled Al Hilal. 밤알바
The chaotic situation ahead of the game seems to have been a negative factor for Al Hilal. In the UAE, where the game took place, abnormal weather with thunderstorms and heavy rain caused destruction of the airport, creating a chaotic atmosphere. As a result, AFC sometimes delayed the hosting of the game by one day.
Meanwhile, the second game between the two teams will kick off at Riyadh Kingdom Arena at 3 a.m. on the 24th.