RIYADH (AFP) – Former Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic was on target as Al Hilal, buoyed by Neymar returning to training this week, swept past Al Shorta 5-0 in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League Elite late on Tuesday in Riyadh.
Brazil superstar Neymar announced his return to club training with the Saudi champions on Monday after a year out with a left knee injury.
Al Hilal took the lead in the 11th minute against their Iraqi opponents through Marcos Leonardo with Mitrovic adding the second four minutes later. Salem Al Dawsari, Nasser Al Dawsari and Mohammed Kanno completed the romp in the second half.
Neymar, 32, moved from Paris Saint-Germain in August 2023 but ruptured his meniscus and anterior cruciate ligament on international duty in October 2023.
“Happy to be back in the group,” Neymar posted on Instagram, with pictures of him running and kicking the ball, watched by Al Hilal’s Portuguese coach Jorge Jesus.
Al Hilal have not yet registered Neymar for the current Saudi Pro League season which began in August but he has been included in their AFC Champions League squad.
