Sufyan Rahimi scored a hat-trick, leading his team Al Ain to beat Al Hilal 4-2 in the first leg of the 2024 AFC Champions League semi-final.
The match, which was held at Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium, recorded the first defeat for the Saudi club this season in all tournaments, and also ended the series of consecutive victories for the “Blue Wave”.
The Jorge Jesus battalion had won 34 consecutive matches before the Al Ain match, but Rahimi scored 3 goals in the first 40 minutes (2 from penalty kicks) and surprised everyone.
سفيان رحيمي يفتتح التسجيل للعين في شباك الهلال#دوري_ابطال_اسيا #العين_الهلال pic.twitter.com/HX6E9m0Ug8
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) April 17, 2024
سفيان رحيمي يضيف الهدف الثاني للعين في شباك الهلال #دوري_ابطال_اسيا #العين_الهلال pic.twitter.com/G6ImP6kcw2
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) April 17, 2024
هاتريك سفيان رحيمي في شباك الهلال #دوري_ابطال_اسيا #العين_الهلال pic.twitter.com/0DsfVmVAdT
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) April 17, 2024
In the second half, Malcolm reduced the score for Al Hilal with a goal, before Rahimi won a third penalty kick executed by Kaku and gave Al Ain the advantage by four goals.
In the 78th minute, Salem Al-Dosari scored a goal for Al-Hilal, making Al-Zaeem need to win 3-0 in the second leg to qualify for the final for the second season in a row.
The return match is scheduled to be held at Kingdom Arena next Tuesday.
It is worth noting that Rahimi’s “hat-trick” made him the top scorer in the Champions League with 11 goals, ahead of the closest competitor, Aleksandar Mitrovic, who scored 8 goals.
