JEDDAH — Al Hilal SFC delivered a masterclass performance to storm into the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League Elite Finals Jeddah 2025, crushing Korea Republic's Gwangju FC 7-0 on Friday night at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium. First-half goals from Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Marcos Leonardo, and Salem Al Dawsari put the four-time Asian champions firmly in control before Aleksandar Mitrovic, Malcom, Nasser Al Dawsari, and Abdullah Al Hamddan completed the rout after the break. The emphatic victory sets up a semi-final clash against the winner of Saturday's quarter-final between Al Ahli Saudi FC and Buriram United. Al Hilal started aggressively, forcing an early corner in the fifth minute after Joao Cancelo's dangerous cross. From the ensuing delivery, Milinkovic-Savic rose highest to power home Salem Al Dawsari's corner past goalkeeper Kim Kyeong-min. Gwangju almost responded in the ninth minute, but Yassine Bounou was alert to deny Jasir Asani's low effort in a one-on-one situation. Al Hilal's relentless high press continued to unsettle Gwangju. Kim was called into action again to stop stinging efforts from Al Dawsari, Mitrovic, and Milinkovic-Savic in quick succession. The pressure told in the 25th minute when Malcom broke down the right and squared the ball to Leonardo, who calmly slotted into the bottom corner to double Al Hilal's lead. Eight minutes later, Leonardo turned provider, feeding Al Dawsari, who surged into the box and finished clinically to make it 3-0 at halftime. Gwangju showed more urgency after the restart but were quickly punished again. In the 55th minute, Milinkovic-Savic floated a cross into the box for an unmarked Mitrovic to finish coolly. Malcom added a fifth in the 79th minute, latching onto Mitrovic's through ball and finishing with precision. Nasser Al Dawsari then scored the sixth after a clever pass from Mohamed Kanno, before Abdullah Al Hamddan capped the scoring three minutes later with a powerful strike from the edge of the box. It was a dominant statement from Al Hilal, who are now just two matches away from lifting a record-extending fifth Asian title.
