Al Hilal surged into the semi-finals of the Asian Champions League Elite with a dominant 7-0 victory over South Korea’s Gwangju on Friday in Jeddah, bringing them one step closer to a record-extending fifth continental title.
The Saudi Pro League giants, coached by Jorge Jesus, overwhelmed the tournament debutants at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium. First-half goals from Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Marcos Leonardo, and Salem Al-Dawsari set the tone, while Aleksandar Mitrovic, Malcom, Nasser Al-Dawsari, and Abdullah Al-Hamdan added to the tally after the break.
The emphatic win sets up a semi-final clash with the winner of Saturday’s quarter-final between fellow Saudi side Al Ahli and Thailand’s Buriram United.
A four-time Asian champion (1991, 2000, 2019, 2021) and five-time runner-up, Al Hilal outclassed Gwangju in every department. The opening goal came early, with Milinkovic-Savic heading home from a Salem Al-Dawsari corner in the sixth minute.
Yassine Bounou kept the Koreans at bay minutes later, making a crucial save to deny Jasir Asani after he broke through on goal.
Al Hilal quickly capitalized on that stop. In the 25th minute, Leonardo doubled the lead with a clinical near-post finish from a Malcom cutback. Eight minutes later, Salem Al-Dawsari made it 3-0, latching onto Leonardo’s long ball and coolly slotting past the keeper.
Mitrovic added a fourth in the 55th minute, finishing Milinkovic-Savic’s bouncing cross with a composed strike. Malcom netted the fifth with 11 minutes to go, followed shortly by Nasser Al-Dawsari’s deflected effort. Al-Hamdan capped off the rout with a thunderous shot in the 88th minute.
The final stages of the newly structured ACL Elite are being held in Jeddah, with other quarter-final ties featuring Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr vs. Yokohama F. Marinos on Saturday, and Japan’s Kawasaki Frontale against Qatar’s Al Sadd on Sunday.
The semi-finals will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday, with the final scheduled for May 3.
