In the early morning of February 24, Beijing time, in the last game of the AFC Champions League 1/4 final, Saudi giants Riyadh Crescent relied on a last-minute goal to finally eliminate Iranian team Khuzestan Steel 1-0 and advance to the last four, competing with Qatari team Du Helle for a final spot.
Riyadh Crescent is the number one Saudi giant, with a brilliant record in recent years, winning the Asian Champions League and Saudi League titles, as well as participating in the Club World Cup, recently going to Morocco to participate in the Club World Cup, the team reached the Club World Cup final for the first time, and was also the first Saudi team to achieve this, losing to Champions League champions Real Madrid in the final and missing out on the first Asian team to be crowned Club World Cup champions.
Coming to the AFC Champions League knockout round, Riyadh Crescent is still showing the strength of the number one favourite. Previously, Dubai National was easily eliminated 3-1 in the 1/8 final, and now it is 1-0 in the 1/4 final to advance to the last four, and the semi-final opponent is Qatari team Duhaile, who eliminated Riyadh youth, and the Saudi team also missed the West Asia zone championship in advance.
According to the schedule, the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League in the West Asia Zone will be played this Sunday, with the winner taking on Japanese giants Ura and Red Diamonds to win this season's AFC Champions League, with the final legs taking place on April 29 and May 6.
Based on the comparison of strength, Riyadh Crescent is more likely to advance to the final, including the final title, which will be bad news for Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.
Cristiano Ronaldo's Saudi team is Riyadh Victory, who missed out on the AFC Champions League this season, so he became a "spectator".
According to FIFA's official sources, the 2023 Club World Cup will be hosted by Saudi Arabia from December 12 to 22 this year, so that the Saudi league champion relies on the status of the host to lock in a qualification, but FIFA does not allow two clubs from the same country to participate in the Club World Cup at the same time.
Once Riyadh Crescent wins the AFC Champions League, then priority will be given to participate in the Club World Cup, even if Riyadh wins the Saudi League championship, there is no chance to participate, and Ronaldo will not participate in the Club World Cup.
Detailed review of the competition——
In the 72nd minute, Hazbawi jumped high with a header that hit the crossbar, and Khuzestan Steel missed the goal.
In the 87th minute, Saleh Shehri provided an assist and Marega burst into the box and shot into the far corner to help Riyadh Crescent complete the 1-0 kill.