Al-Shamal secured a 3-1 victory over Al-Hilal in the AFC Champions League Elite league phase on Tuesday at Al-Bayt Stadium in Al-Khor, climbing to sixth place in the standings with five points. The Qatari club delivered a decisive performance against the Saudi heavyweights, fueled by an influential display from Riyad Mahrez and fellow Algerian international Baghdad Bounedjah.

Tuesday’s fixture marked a milestone for Al-Shamal, which is contesting the continental tournament for the first time. Facing an Al-Hilal squad boasting global names including French defender Théo Hernandez and English forward Ollie Watkins, the Qatari side overturned an early deficit through coordinated attacking execution.

Wesley Saïd and Salem Al-Dawsari Trade Early Blows

Al-Shamal caught the visitors off guard in the opening stages when Wesley Saïd opened the scoring in the eighth minute. Al-Hilal responded before the break when Théo Hernandez slipped a low pass across the face of an unguarded goal for captain Salem Al-Dawsari to tap in the equalizer at the 32-minute mark.

That goal was Al-Dawsari’s first of the season in his first start, following two brief substitute appearances in the Roshn League. The strike also moved the Al-Hilal captain to 36 goals in the AFC Champions League since the competition’s format was revamped in 2003, placing him one goal behind retired South Korean Dong-Gook Lee, the second highest scorer in the history of the competition, as noted by the Saudi newspaper Arriyadiyah.

Riyad Mahrez Coordinates Second-Half Surge

The match turned decisively in the second half as Riyad Mahrez orchestrated Al-Shamal’s offensive output. In the 48th minute, Mahrez drove down the right flank, exchanged passes with Brazilian Thiago Silva, and delivered a cross that Baghdad Bounedjah converted to restore Al-Shamal’s lead.

Six minutes later, Mahrez struck again from a right-sided free kick, floating a delivery over the Al-Hilal defensive line that Tunisian Mohamed Ali Ben Rhomadane steered home at the back post with a close-range touch. The pair of assists brought Mahrez’s total against Al-Hilal to six, reinforcing his productivity against the Riyadh-based club.

Al-Shamal Closes Gap After Al-Hilal Suffers First Continental Defeat

The 3-1 result handed Al-Hilal its first defeat of the continental campaign and only its second loss across all competitions this season. Al-Shamal moved to five points in the league phase table, sitting just one point behind Al-Hilal after three rounds of fixtures.

Mahrez, 35, joined Al-Shamal during the summer transfer window after a three-season stint with Al-Ahli Djeddah, where he won back-to-back AFC Champions League Elite titles in 2025 and 2026.