Neymar Scores First Goal For Al Hilal

Brazilian football star Neymar opened his scoring account for Al Hilal as he found the back of the net in his team's impressive 3-0 victory over Iran's Nassaji Mazandaran in a thrilling Asian Champions League match held in Tehran. Neymar, who joined Al Hilal in August for a reported 90 million euros ($94 million), secured the second goal of the match with a well-placed left-footed strike in the 58th minute. This goal marked Neymar's inaugural contribution to Al Hilal's campaign in five appearances. Former Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic had initiated the scoring with a header in the 18th minute, while substitute Saleh Al Shehri sealed the win with a late goal in injury-time. The victory propelled Al Hilal, the four-time champions and last year's runners-up, to the top of Group D. In another fixture, Navbahor, who finished as runners-up in the 2022 Uzbekistan Super League and are making their Champions League debut, secured a 3-0 win against India's Mumbai City in Namangan. Both Al Hilal and Nassaji Mazandaran played the majority of the match with 10 men after Salman Al Faraj, the captain of the Saudi side, and Amir Houshmand of Nassaji Mazandaran were sent off for violent conduct, a controversial turn of events. This match came shortly after Al Ittihad, a Saudi club, refused to participate in their game against Sepahan in Isfahan due to a bust of the slain Revolutionary Guards commander Qasem Soleimani displayed at the entrance. Consequently, the match was canceled. In other group stage results, Al Ain, the 2003 champions, maintained their perfect record with a 4-2 home victory over Turkmenistan's Ahal. Meanwhile, Saudi side Al Fayha secured a 2-0 win at home against Uzbekistan's Pakhtakor. As the group stage unfolds, the competition intensifies, with clubs vying for a spot in the knockout rounds scheduled to commence in February. The road to the final, played over two legs, will culminate in May.