AFC Champions League Elite: Mitrovic’s Al Hilal Beats Esteghlal
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Aleksandar Mitrovic starred with a hat-trick as Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal SFC took a step closer to the knockout stage after a 3-0 win over Esteghlal FC of Iran in its AFC Champions League Elite 2024-25 tie on Monday.
The win keeps Al Hilal top of the table in the West zone with 12 points while it was a third defeat for Esteghlal as they stayed on three points as the league phase reached the halfway mark.
Mitrovic opened the scoring for the Saudi Arabian team in the 15th minute and made it 2-0 in the 33rd minute. The Serbian headed home Joao Cancelo’s cross from the right in the 74th minute to complete his hat-trick.
Next up for Al Hilal is a trip to Qatar’s Al Sadd SC on November 26 where a win could potentially seal its progression while Esteghlal will face Pakhtakor of Uzbekistan a day earlier.