Aleksandar Mitrovic and Salem Al-Dawsari scored for Al-Hilal in a 2-0 win over Al-Ittihad, which saw midfielder N’Golo Kanté sent off in the first leg of their Asian Champions League quarterfinal match Tuesday.
Mitrovic converted a penalty six minutes before the break to become joint top scorer in the tournament with eight goals. Three minutes later, Al-Dawsari doubled the lead in the all-Saudi Arabian matchup.
Kanté was dismissed in the 66th minute for a dangerous tackle on former Chelsea teammate Kalidou Koulibaly. Kante will miss the second leg in Jeddah next Tuesday.
“We got two goals in the first half and then we tried to control the game but it was difficult with their counter-attack,” Koulibaly said. “To win 2-0 at home is a good result and we will wait until the second game.”
Karim Benzema, who had right leg muscle soreness this week, was not in Al-Ittihad’s squad.
The winner of the tie could meet Cristiano Ronaldo in the semifinals if Al-Nassr can overcome a 1-0 first-leg deficit against Al-Ain of the United Arab Emirates in the return game in Riyadh on Monday.
In the eastern zone, Jeonbuk drew 1-1 with Ulsan in the first leg between two South Korean teams that have lifted the trophy twice. On Wednesday, Shandong Taishan of China will host Japan’s Yokohama F. Marinos.
