Soccer-Watkins on target to keep Al-Hilal perfect in Asian Champions League

Oct 13 (Reuters) - Al-Hilal ⁠secured a 2-0 win over Qatar's Al-Sadd in Doha on ⁠Tuesday with Ollie Watkins' improvised finish sending the Saudi Pro League ‌outfit on their way to a second successive Asian Champions League Elite win.

The former Aston Villa striker netted in the 40th minute to give Al-Hilal the lead, calmly steering the ​ball home while lying on the turf after ⁠being upended in the penalty ⁠area by Agustin Soria.

"I felt like I worked hard for the team, ⁠I ‌got my goal and that's what I'm here to do, get goals for the team and ultimately work hard and put everything ⁠into the game," said Watkins.

The win followed Al-Hilal's opening ​victory over Al-Gharafa ‌in the western league phase of the competition last month and ⁠was sealed when ​Ruben Neves scored from the penalty spot in the 65th minute.

Al-Hilal were joined on six points by Shabab Al-Ahli after the side from the United Arab Emirates ⁠beat former champions Al-Ittihad 2-1 in Jeddah.

Sardar ​Azmoun struck twice in the opening 16 minutes, converting from close range in the seventh before the Iran international ran from just inside the Al-Ittihad half ⁠before finishing.

Richard Rios pulled one back for the hosts in the 66th minute but Shabab Al-Ahli held on to take the points.

"We were very focused and we believed we can win this game," said Azmoun. "We analysed them ​well and we worked on the pitch very ⁠hard and that's why we won the game."

Al-Ain from the UAE and Iran's ​Esteghlal also have perfect records after two rounds ‌of the eight-match league phase. The ​top eight finishers in both the west and east regions advance to the last 16.

(Reporting by Michael Church, Editing by Toby Davis)

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10 月 13 日（路透社）——周二在多哈，阿尔希拉尔队以 2-0 战胜卡塔尔的阿尔萨德队，奥利·沃特金斯的即兴进球帮助这支沙特职业联赛球队取得了亚冠联赛精英赛的两连胜。

这位前阿斯顿维拉前锋在第 40 分钟破门得分，帮助阿尔希拉尔取得领先。当时，他在禁区内被奥古斯丁·索里亚绊倒在地，但他冷静地将球送入网窝。

沃特金斯说：“我觉得我为球队付出了很多努力，我实现了我的目标，这就是我来这里的目的，为球队进球，最终努力拼搏，把一切都投入到比赛中。”

上个月，阿尔希拉尔在西部联赛阶段的首场比赛中战胜了阿尔加拉法，随后又取得了一场胜利。比赛进行到第 65 分钟时，鲁本·内维斯点球破门，锁定胜局。

在阿联酋球队沙巴布·阿赫利在吉达以 2-1 击败前冠军伊蒂哈德后，阿尔希拉尔与沙巴布·阿赫利同积 6 分。

萨达尔·阿兹蒙在开场 16 分钟内梅开二度，第七分钟近距离破门得分，随后这位伊朗国脚从伊蒂哈德半场内带球突破后完成射门。

理查德·里奥斯在第 66 分钟为东道主扳回一球，但沙巴布·阿赫利最终守住了胜果，带走了三分。

阿兹蒙说：“我们非常专注，并且相信我们能赢得这场比赛。我们对对手进行了充分的分析，并在场上非常努力地训练，这就是我们赢得比赛的原因。”

阿联酋的艾因队和伊朗的埃斯特格拉尔队在八轮联赛阶段的前两轮比赛中也保持全胜战绩。东西赛区排名前八的球队将晋级16强。

（迈克尔·丘奇报道，托比·戴维斯编辑）

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