Substitute Otavio earns Sadd a point against Hilal

Al Sadd ended Saudi giants Al Hilal’s perfect start to the AFC Champions League Elite on Tuesday as Jorge Jesus’ side were held to a 1-1 draw by the Qatari side.
But a point at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha was enough to ensure Hilal advanced to the next round alongside fellow Saudi side Al Nassr Club, with Al Ahli Saudi FC having confirmed their ticket on Monday.
Ali al-Bulahyi gave Al Hilal a 10th minute lead but substitute Paulo Otavio struck for the hosts with 19 minutes remaining to see the spoils shared, moving the former champions onto 13 points from five matches. That leaves Al Hilal two points behind compatriots Al Ahli and level with cross-city rivals Al Nassr, with both clubs securing their places in the next round as a result of Al Shorta’s 3-1 loss to Al Wasl on Tuesday.
Al Sadd, meanwhile, move onto nine points and slip one place to fifth behind the Saudi trio and Al Wasl, who have climbed up to fourth with three games remaining.
Aleksandar Mitrovic and Salem al-Dawsari had both been off target with early efforts for Al Hilal but the visitors soon took the lead, al-Bulayhi side-footing home at the far post after Mohammed Kanno had flicked on al-Dawsari’s corner from the left.
Mitrovic squandered the opportunity to head in a second for Al Hilal five minutes later, the Serbian nodding high over the bar after being found unmarked eight yards from goal by Renan Lodi’s corner from the right.
Al-Dawsari’s cross unlocked the Al Sadd defence six minutes before the interval, the Saudi Arabia winger finding the head of Mitrovic, who steered the ball into the path of Marcos Leonardo but his shot cannoned off Nasser al-Dawsari and bounced to safety.
Meshaal Barsham threw himself to his right to keep out Leonardo’s goal-bound strike with less than two minutes left in the half, pushing the ball around his right post to keep the deficit at a solitary goal going into the interval.
Having been second-best for much of the first half, Al Sadd pulled themselves back into the game after the break. Akram Afif forced a fine save out of Yasssine Bounou nine minutes after the restart, the Moroccan throwing himself at full stretch to tip a long-range effort from the AFC Player of the Year around the post.
Mitrovic then hit the crossbar when he met Nasser al-Dawsari’s first-time ball into the penalty area with a full-blooded strike that left Barsham beaten while Bounou was on hand to keep out Adam Ounas’ header with 20 minutes remaining.
The hosts finally found a way through with 19 minutes to go when Afif was released down the left and his first-time ball across goal was converted with glee by Otavio.
Tarek Salman hit the woodwork with a header as Al Sadd pushed for the winner while Sergej Milinkovic-Savic saw his attempt deflected wide moments later as the action swung from one end to the other with neither side able to claim a winner.