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Aleksandar Mitrovic Hat-Trick Fires Al Hilal Past Esteghlal, Neymar Replaced Early

Aleksandar Mitrovic scored three times on Monday as Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal beat Iranian side Esteghlal in the AFC Champions Elite to maintain their 100 percent start to the competition. Brazil star Neymar came on as a second-half substitute but was then replaced. It was the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain attacker's second appearance in two weeks following almost one year out after rupturing ligaments in his left knee. Neymar, 32, came on after 58 minutes at Kingdom Arena with Al Hilal already 2-0 up thanks to a first-half double from Serbia striker Mitrovic.

Mitrovic helps Al-Hilal stay perfect in Champions League but Neymar injured

HONG KONG : Al-Hilal's Aleksandar Mitrovic got a hat-trick as they continued their perfect start to the Asian Champions League Elite on Monday with a 3-0 win over Iran's Esteghlal, although the Saudi side's evening was soured by a late injury to Neymar.

Cristiano Ronaldo-less Al Nassr Fail To Win AFC Champions League Opener

Al Nassr struggled in Cristiano Ronaldo's absence on Monday, when the Saudi club kicked off the revamped Asian Champions League with a 1-1 draw against Al Shorta in Iraq. Al Nassr captain Ronaldo did not travel with the squad for the match in Baghdad, with the club issuing a statement a day before stating that the Portuguese superstar had been diagnosed with a viral infection. Al Nassr, who were knocked out of last season's Asian Champions League in the quarter-finals by eventual champions Al Ain, were given a dream start in the Iraqi capital, when full-back Sultan Al Ghannam met Otavio's astute, first-time pass on 14 minutes to finish low past Al Shorta goalkeeper Ahmed Basil.