At 23:00 GMT on February 26, the 33-year-old former Chinese Super League (CSL) foreigner Ighalo's big four led Riyadh Crescent to a 7-0 thrashing of Duhail in the AFC Champions League (AFC) semifinals, advancing to the final, where they will fight for the title against Japanese side Urawa Red Diamonds.
The two rounds of the AFC Champions League final will be held on April 29th and May 6th. Last season, Riyadh defeated Pohang Steelers 2-0 in the AFC Champions League final and now they are in the AFC Champions League final again as defending champions. This is also the fifth time in the last nine seasons that Riyadh have reached the AFC Champions League final, having won the last two.
Riyadh Crescent scored seven goals on just 10 of 13 shots in the 7-0 thrashing of Duhail, with Ighalo completing the big four on just six shots.The 7-0 gave Riyadh Crescent the record for the biggest AFC Champions League win in their history, breaking the record they set in the 2012 AFC Champions League eighth-quarter finals against Gulf League side Banyas (7-1).
Match Recap -
The Riyadh Crescent dream started 2-0 just 10 minutes after Ighalo's head kick finished the second goal.
Marega then scored two consecutive cities in 13 minutes and Dasari also scored a goal to give Riyadh Crescent a 5-0 lead at half-time.
In the second half, Ighalo scored back-to-back big fours in the 48th and 62nd minutes to help Riyadh Crescent advance to the final with a 7-0 thrashing of Duhail.
