Neymar back after a year out and helps Al-Hilal in Asian Champions League - WTOP News
AL AIN, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Neymar made his comeback after a year-long injury layoff, contributing to Al-Hilal's thrilling 5-4 victory against Al Ain in the group stage of the AFC Champions League Elite on Monday.
Neymar joined a club in Saudi Arabia in August 2023, but after just five appearances, he suffered an injury to his anterior cruciate ligament last October. He made his return as a substitute 369 days later, stepping onto the pitch for the four-time Asian champions with just 13 minutes left to play at Al Ain. He nearly found the net right away, but his low shot from the left side of the area narrowly missed the post.
In an exciting game between Al-Hilal and the reigning champion, Renan Lodi scored the first goal for Al-Hilal after 26 minutes. Not long after, Soufiane Rahimi, who was the leading scorer of the tournament last season, brought the score back to even.
Before halftime, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Salem Al-Dawsari scored, giving Hilal a 3-1 lead.
Mateo Sanabria got his team on the scoreboard shortly after the 60-minute mark, but Al-Dawsari responded with two additional goals to secure a hat trick. Rahimi also joined in on the scoring spree, completing his own hat trick to bring the score to 5-4.
The victory kept Al-Hilal's flawless record intact in Asia following three matches.
In another match, Al-Ahli from Saudi Arabia defeated Qatar's Al-Rayyan with a score of 2-1, thanks to goals by Gabri Veiga and Firas Al-Buraikan.
Iraq's Al-Shorta tied with Uzbekistan's Pakhtakor with a score of 0-0, while Qatar's Al-Sadd won against Iran's Persepolis with a narrow score of 1-0.
On Tuesday, Al-Nassr and Cristiano Ronaldo will face off against Esteghlal from Iran. The match has been relocated from Tehran to Dubai because of concerns over security in Iran.
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