Riyad Mahrez had a hand in all three goals as AFC Champions League Elite debutants Al Shamal beat Al Hilal 3-1 at Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor on Tuesday, 27 October (local time), handing the Saudi side their first League Stage defeat since the tournament was revamped, according to the AFC's match report. In Dubai, Shabab Al Ahli beat Esteghlal 2-0 to make it three wins from three in the West zone of the 2026/27 competition.
How Al Shamal turned it round
Simone Inzaghi left Kalidou Koulibaly, Ollie Watkins and Yassine Bounou on the bench, and the Qatari hosts made him pay in the 8th minute: a passing move from their own half ended with Mahrez finding Ben Romdhane, who set up Wesley Said for a low finish past Mohammed Al Owais.
Al Hilal levelled in the 31st minute. Kader Meite held off his marker and fed Salem Al Dawsari, who sent left-back Theo Hernandez down the flank and arrived in the box to tap in the return pass. Al Shamal almost went back in front soon after, when Baghdad Bounedjah lifted the ball over Al Owais, but Ali Lajami got the faintest touch and Mahrez's follow-up header hit the post.
It took the hosts three minutes of the second half to lead again, Mahrez picking out Bounedjah at the near post after a flick from Tiago Silva. The Algerian, a two-time winner of the competition with Al Ahli Saudi FC, then swung in the free-kick that Romdhane guided in at the back post. Inzaghi sent on Koulibaly, Watkins and Nasser Al Dawsari, but the four-time Asian champions managed little more than a Yusuf Akcicek shot straight at goalkeeper Babacar Seck.
The win, Al Shamal's first after two draws, lifts them to sixth in the West standings on 5 points, one behind Al Hilal.
Shabab Al Ahli stay perfect
Shabab wasted a string of first-half openings at Rashid Stadium: Habib Far Abbasi denied Sardar Azmoun in the 14th minute, Saeid Ezatolahi volleyed over in the 24th and Breno pulled a shot wide around the half-hour. Esteghlal's best effort, a Saleh Hardani free-kick in the 17th minute, went straight into the hands of Matheus Donelli.
Substitute Matheus Lima broke the deadlock in the 69th minute, volleying in Azmoun's deep ball, and Juan Alvina sealed it in the 83rd minute from the edge of the six-yard box after Lima and Azmoun combined down the left. Shabab now have 9 points, and Esteghlal's winning run is over.
Two draws in AFC Champions League Two Group D
In Baghdad, Al Shorta needed a stoppage-time penalty to draw 1-1 with Jordan's Al Hussein. Abdallah Nasib put the visitors ahead in the 26th minute after Pedro Henrique headed a set-piece across goal. Kuku hit the post just before the break for the Iraqi side, and Leonel Ateba headed over in the 57th minute, before Ahmad Assaf brought down Abdullah Basim in stoppage time and Barco sent goalkeeper Mahmoud Al Kawamleh the wrong way from the spot.
In Seeb, Oman's Al Seeb and India's East Bengal drew 0-0. Edmund Lalrindika fired over from a good position for the visitors in the 49th minute, and neither side could make its chances count. The draw keeps East Bengal third on 2 points, with Al Seeb one point behind at the halfway mark of the group stage.
Results at a glance
| Competition | Match | Score | Scorers | Where it leaves them |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACL Elite (West) | Al Shamal v Al Hilal | 3-1 | Said, Bounedjah, Romdhane; Salem Al Dawsari (Al Hilal) | Al Shamal sixth on 5 points; Al Hilal on 6 points |
| ACL Elite (West) | Shabab Al Ahli v Esteghlal | 2-0 | Matheus Lima, Juan Alvina | Shabab Al Ahli on 9 points from three games |
| ACL Two (Group D) | Al Shorta v Al Hussein | 1-1 | Barco (pen); Abdallah Nasib (Al Hussein) | Points shared |
| ACL Two (Group D) | Al Seeb v East Bengal | 0-0 | None | East Bengal third on 2 points; Al Seeb one behind |
What comes next
Shabab Al Ahli go into the fourth round of games with a perfect 9 points, ahead of Al Hilal on 6 points and Al Shamal on 5 points; the AFC reports do not give the date of that round. Al Hilal's next outing will be their first since losing a League Stage match for the first time. In Group D, the second half of the group stage starts with East Bengal and Al Seeb both still without a win.