Hilal and Al-Shabab made it a night to remember for Saudi football when they both won their quarterfinal first-leg AFC Champions League soccer matches Wednesday. While Hilal defeated Al-Gharafa from neighboring Qatar 3-0, Shabab got the better of South Korean side Jeonbuk Motors, which failed to fire and now has a huge mountain to climb after losing 2-0. Hilal routed visitors Al-Gharafa at King Fahd International Stadium thanks to goals from Mohammed Al-Shalhoub, Ahmed Al-Fraidi and substitute Waleed Al-Jaizani. Hilal went on the offensive from the start and had to wait just 13 minutes before being able to get its name on the scoresheet. Thiago Neves fed a pass into the area that the defense failed to clear and the ball eventually fell to Yasser Al-Qahtani, who then fed Mohamed Al-Shalhoub. The midfielder calmly side-footed the ball just inside keeper Abdulaziz Abdullah's near post. After this quick start it took over 40 minutes for the second to come. Abdullah saved a long range Neves free kick but could not hold on to the ball, leaving Fraidi to stab home the rebound. The rout was completed five minutes from time thanks to Al-Jaizani, who freed himself from the attention of two Gharafa defenders and beat Abdullah down low to cap a perfect Champions League evening for the Saudi club. Reports this week suggested that Sven Goran Eriksson could become Hilal's new boss when Eric Gerets leaves to coach Morocco's national side. Gerets is set to depart the Saudi powerhouse once its Champions League campaign ends. In South Korea, midfielder Fahd Hamad and striker Juan Manuel Olivera helped Shabab secure the three points. It was an unexpected result for Al-Shabab, which has made a poor start in the Saudi League and lies a lowly ninth after managing only one win from its opening four games. Title-holder Pohang Steelers also slumped to a 2-1 defeat against Iranian side Zobahan to leave the defense of its AFC Champions League crown in the balance. Mahdi Rajabzadeh's 75th-minute penalty, awarded after Jung Hong-youn had fouled Igor Castro in the area, proved the difference between the two sides. Castro had given the Iranian league leader the lead after 18 minutes when a Rajabzadeh corner was headed into his path by Mohammad Ghazi. The Brazilian turned neatly and shot past goalkeeper Shin Hwa-yung. His compatriot Mota equalized in the 55th minute when a right-wing cross from Kim Jae-sung was not cleared properly by Farshid Talebi. His header fell to Mota, who shot into the bottom corner. Earlier, Seongnam Ilhwa continued its impressive recent form to crush fellow South Korean Suwon Bluewings 4-1 in the first leg of their quarterfinal. Seongnam's Macedonian target man Dzenan Radoncic opened the scoring in the eighth minute before Yeom Ki-hun equalized for the visitors, who saw its nine-match unbeaten streak ended over the weekend in the domestic league. Seven-time Korean champion Seongnam has a formidable front line and former Colombia international Mauricio Molina made it 2-1 just past the half-hour mark. With former player Shin Tae-yong now coaching the team and directing operations from the touchline, it increased its advantage in the second half with Radoncic finding the net again in the 67th minute. Song Ho-young grabbed a fourth six minutes from time to leave Suwon with a mountain to climb in the return leg next week. The second legs are played on Sept. 22, with the final at Tokyo's National Stadium on Nov. 13. __
