In a recent Asian Champions League match, Neymar achieved a significant milestone, scoring his first goal for Al-Hilal in his fifth appearance. The Saudi Arabian club dominated Nassaji Mazandaran, securing a convincing 3-0 victory in Tehran. This match stood in stark contrast to the previous day’s events when another Saudi team, Al-Ittihad, chose not to play against Sepahan in Iran.
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Al-Hilal, a four-time continental champion, demonstrated their strength against the Iranian hosts at the Azadi Stadium. The scoring began early in the game when Aleksandar Mitrovic, signed from the English Premier League’s Fulham over the summer, found the back of the net just ten minutes into the match.
Neymar, who had missed a penalty in Al-Hilal’s previous victory over Al-Shabab in the Saudi Pro League, faced a challenging atmosphere in Tehran. He became the target of projectiles from the home fans, possibly in response to his social media comments criticizing the stadium’s field conditions. Despite this, the former Barcelona superstar, who joined Al-Hilal from Paris Saint-Germain in August, silenced the crowd with a goal from the edge of the area just two minutes before the hour mark. Saleh Al-Shehri added a third goal in added time to seal the victory.
This win propelled Al-Hilal to the top of Group D with four points, positioning them well for further success in the tournament. The Asian Champions League format allows the top team from each of the ten groups and the six best-performing second-place teams to advance to the second round.
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In another match in Group A, fellow Saudi Arabian team Al-Fayha secured a 2-0 victory against Pakhtakor, with Abdel
