The marquee match in the AFC Champions League was quietly played in the early hours of Tuesday morning. The former league champions Aaan hosted Saudi Arabia's Hilal in a match that was a repeat of the previous quarterfinals. It was a thrilling 5-4 victory over Hilal that won the Cup. However, this time, Hilal came with a vengeance and vowed to seize any opportunity to bag the victory.
Looking back at previous AFC Champions League quarterfinals, Al Ain stunned the crowd by knocking out favorites Hilal with three controversial penalties. This year, however, the United Arab Emirates' Al Ain has not been performing well, with only one point in the first two rounds and five goals scored by their opponents, making their defense look especially vulnerable. In the league, Al Ain is also in trouble, currently only ranked in the middle of the league, the players' form and confidence are at a low point.
Since April, Hilal has never been able to win against Aaan, even forming an embarrassing record of 11 consecutive matches without a win. However, in the last seven official matches, Hilal has shown amazing attacking power, scoring at least two goals per game on average. World-class stars such as Alexandre Mizouwic, Margan and Rubin Neves are in the spotlight at the moment, and they are strong enough to boast the Asian football world. Today, they vowed to avenge their loss and go all out to avenge their shame!
