Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal defeated Uzbekistan’s Nasaf Qarshi 3-2 on Monday to top their group in the Asian Champions League Elite with full points from two matches.

Sergej Milinkovic-Savic opened the scoring for Al-Hilal, but Sardorbek Bakhromov’s long-range strike leveled the score in the first half. After the break, French international Theo Hernandez restored Al-Hilal’s lead with a solo run past five defenders before finishing inside the box. Javokhir Sidikov pulled one back for Nasaf, but Marcos Leonardo secured the win for the four-time champions in the 79th minute.

“We played at a fast tempo and earned a positive result,” Al-Hilal coach Simone Inzaghi said. “We could have sealed the game earlier as we wasted many chances, but Nasaf is a strong opponent.”

Meanwhile, defending champions Al-Ahli were held 2-2 by Qatar’s Al-Duhail. Al-Ahli went behind after Edmilson Junior scored into an empty net following Adil Boulbina’s shot rebound. Brazilian forward Matheus Goncalves equalized before halftime, and Riyad Mahrez briefly put Al-Ahli ahead by intercepting a goalkeeper pass. Polish striker Krzysztof Piatek’s header earned a draw for Al-Duhail three minutes into the second half.

In other matches, Iran’s Tractor drew 0-0 with UAE’s Al-Wahda, while Qatar’s Al-Gharafa defeated Iraq’s Al-Shorta 2-0.