5 things we learned from Saudi results in Matchday 2 of AFC Champions League

Two games down in the group stage of the AFC Champions League and four to go. There is still time to recover from poor starts while the finish line, in the shape of the second round, will be coming into view for those with maximum points. Here are five things we learned from Matchday Two.

1. Al-Faisaly pick up the result of the round

Al-Faisaly 2 Al-Sadd 1. It is one of the best results in the history of the Saudi Arabian club. This was just their second-ever game in this tournament and they have defeated one of the favorites. Al-Sadd dominate the Qatar Stars League and are star-studded with Santi Cazarlo among the best players in Asia supported by a number of the Qatar national team, the reigning Asian champions, as well as Algerian goal machine Baghdad Bounedjah.

It was looking ominous when Hassan Al-Haydos gave the 2011 champions an early lead following an incisive move but the Dammam men were soon level thanks to Hicham Faik, a fine header from a perfect Martin Boyle cross. The Dutchman turned provider early in the second half with a magnificent long pass which fed Julio Tavares, though the Cape Verde striker still had some work to do to grab the winner. Then there was some doughty defensive work to be done and Al-Faisaly were well-organized and hard-working.

There had been concerns after the 1-1 draw in the opening game against Al-Wehdat that the Saudi team would come to regret, dropping two points with tougher tests to come. There is still a lot of work to do but the team have shown that they have what it takes to get out of Group E.

2. Local stars keep Al-Hilal perfect and ominous.

Al-Hilal picked up a 3-0 win over Al-Rayyan to make it two wins out of two and already the defending champions are looking good