5 things learned from Saudi teams’ start to 2022 AFC Champions League

RIYADH: And so it begins. The AFC Champions League kicked off this week with all the group games in the western zone taking place in Saudi Arabia. On paper that is a huge advantage but here are five things we learned from what happened on the pitch.

1. Al-Hilal are the team to beat

The champions started with a 2-1 win over Sharjah, a game that finished in the early hours of the Riyadh morning, and it was a deserved victory, a ninth in a row under coach Ramon Diaz. Saad Al-Shehri put the hosts ahead with an early penalty and while the UAE team were quickly level, a second half strike from Michael (the Brazilian forward has been slowly improving after his arrival in January) after a lovely pass from Matheus Pereira, won the game.

Injuries to Al-Shehri and also South Korean defender Jang Hyun-soo were the main downsides, though it is hoped that both will return to fitness before the end of the group stage.

The scary thing for the rest of the group is that it was done without the attacking talents of Salem Al-Dawsari and Odion Ighalo. It is obviously early in the competition but Al-Hilal will take some stopping in the group stage and in the western zone. At the moment, the defending champions are the best team in Asia.

2. Tawamba terrorizes Al-Duhail to give Al-Taawoun a famous win

Al-Taawoun are taking a break from a relegation fight at home and got off to a great start with a 2-1 win over Al-Duhail. The Qatari team, coached by Hernan Crespo, have what it takes to do well and may feel that they should have taken all three points but didn’t reckon on Leandre Tawamba. The Cameroonian striker changed the game.

The Qataris took an early lead after a bad goalkeeping error but soon after Tawamba scored what could already