Al-Hilal tied against Urawa in the first leg of the AFC Champions League final

The Saudi club Al-Hilal, the defending champion, tied with its guest, Urawa Red Diamonds, Japan, 1-1, on Saturday, at King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh, in the first leg of the 2022 AFC Champions League final.

Al-Hilal advanced in the first half through Salem Al-Dosari’s goal in the 13th minute, before Urawa Reds equalized through Shinzo Koroki (53).

Al-Hilal completed the match with ten players, after midfielder Salem Al-Dosari was sent off in the 86th minute, after a violent foul on Ken Iwao.

The return match between the two teams will be held next Saturday, May 6, at Saitama 2002 Stadium in Saitama.

Al-Hilal aspires to retain the title for the second year in a row, and to crown it for the fifth time in the history of the tournament, and the third in the last four editions, as it won the Asian Club Championship title in 1991 and 2000, and the AFC Champions League 2019 and 2021.

On the other hand, Urawa Reds won the championship twice, in 2007 and 2017, while losing to Al-Hilal in the final of the 2019 edition.