AFC Champions League Elite
Jeddah, Nov 5: Saudi champion Al-Ittihad shrugged off its poor domestic form to beat Al-Sharjah of the United Arab Emirates 3-0 in the Asian Champions League Elite.
Since his appointment a month ago, coach Sergio Conceição is yet to win in three Saudi Pro League matches but he has now found success in the continental competition with back-to-back wins.
Steven Bergwijn put Al-Ittihad ahead after eight minutes and goals from Karim Benzema and Roger Fernandes sealed the win for the two-time champion.
Al-Ittihad’s Jeddah rival, Al-Ahli, moved into second place in the group with a 2-1 win over Qatar’s Al-Sadd, thanks to goals from Riyad Mahrez and Matheus Goncalves.
On Monday, Al-Hilal remained the only team in the tournament with a perfect record after a 2-1 victory over Al-Gharafa of Qatar, earning the maximum 12 points to remain atop its group.
Salem Al-Dawsari, the recently named AFC Player of the Year, opened the scoring for the four-time champion, and Brazilian forward Kaio Cesar doubled the lead before Al-Gharafa scored a late consolation.
The 24-team Elite tournament is divided into two groups of 12, with the top eight from each advancing to the knockout stage.
In the eastern division, Sanfrecce Hiroshima of Japan went top after a 1-0 win over South Korea’s Gangwon FC.
Melbourne City beat Machida Zelvia of Japan 2-1, and FC Seoul drew 0-0 with Chinese Super League team Chengdu Rongcheng.
League stage games continue Wednesday. (AP)
