England striker hails 'important win' over UAE side

Show caption: Ollie Watkins bagged both goals as Al Hilal beat Shahab Al A…

Ollie Watkins scored twice as Al Hilal won 2-0 against Shabab ​Al Ahli in Riyadh on Tuesday ⁠to put the Saudi Pro League side's ⁠AFC Champions League Elite campaign back on ​track.

Simone Inzaghi's side moved to nine points from four matches as the ⁠western league phase reached the halfway point, with the club bouncing back from last week's loss to Qatar's Al Shamal.

"It was a tough game; I thought they played very ⁠well," said Watkins. "There's a lot of good teams in this competition, but ⁠I thought it was ‌an important win and it's nice to get a couple of goals."

Watkins ​gave Hilal the perfect start in the sixth minute when he capitalised on Kalidou Koulibaly's ball-winning challenge midway inside the Shabab Al Ahli half that put the UAE club in trouble.

The former Chelsea defender drove into the penalty area before laying off possession to Watkins and, after holding off the challenge of Nemanja Maksimovic, steered his shot into the bottom corner.

Watkins doubled his side's lead in the first minute after the interval when Yusuf Akcicek delivered an incisive pass from the halfway line and the England forward applied an expert finish.

"We faced a strong opponent, a team that had won all three of their previous matches in the Asian tournament," Inzaghi said. "However, our players performed exceptionally well and took control of the game.

"This victory is a positive step for us, especially heading into the upcoming break."

The win means Hilal pulled level on points with Shabab Al Ahli, who had won their opening three matches in the league phase.

"We played against a high-level opponent, and any mistake against them can lead to defeat, which is what happened," said Shabab Al Ahli coach Andre Jardine.

"We could have achieved a better result and avoided defeat. Football relies on effectiveness in attack and defence, and Hilal excelled in both, making them the better side."

Iranian side Esteghlal also have nine ​points following a 1-0 victory over Qatar's Al Shamal, with ​Albania international ‌Jasir Asani netting the winner in the 91st minute.

"It was a hard game," ⁠said Asani, who scored for the third time in four matches ⁠in the competition. "From the first minute, we showed our quality, but the other team was very good. We missed many chances to open the game, but this is football."

The first eight finishers in the 16-team league ​phase in both East and West Asia progress to the next round, while the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final will be played in a centralised format in Saudi Arabia in April and May.

UAE champions Al Ain lead the West standings with a maximum of 12 points from their four games.