Brazil star, Neymar Jnr finally scored his first goal for Al Hilal SFC on Tuesday, 3rd October, 2023 in the club’s 3-0 victory over Iran’s Nassaji Mazandaran in Tehran during their Asian Champions League clash.

The former Paris Saint-Germain star, signed for Al Hilal for a huge sum of Ninety Four Million Euros (E94 million).

The 58th-minute sweeping left-footed finish is Neymar’s first goal for Hilal in five matches. Aleksandar Mitrovic, the former Fulham striker opened the scoring on 18 minutes with a header, with substitute Saleh Al Shehri securing the result in injury time to lift the four-time winners, runners-up last year, top of Group D.

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Navbahor, 2022 Uzbekistan Super League runners-up and Champions League debutants, secured a 3-0 win at home to India’s Mumbai City in Namangan.

Both Hilal and Nassaji Mazandaran had to play the majority of the match in the Iranian capital with 10 men after the Saudi side’s captain Salman Al Faraj was sent off alongside Amir Houshmand seven minutes before half-time – both for violent conduct.

Earlier on, Al Ittihad had refused to enter the pitch in their match against Sepahan in Isfahan because of the display of slain Revolutionary Guards Commander Qasem Soleimani at the entrance. The game was subsequently called off.

In Group A, 2003 winners Al Ain continued their 100 per cent record with a 4-2 home win against Turkmenistan’s Ahal, as Al Fayha of the Saudi league won 2-0 at home to Uzbekistan’s Pakhtakor. Al Ain of the UAE top the group with three points ahead of Ahal and Fayha.

South Korea’s Incheon United won two matches from two games played in Group G with a 4-0 victory at home to Filipino side Kaya-FC Iloilo In the East Asian side of the draw. Japanese champions Yokohama F Marinos are second in the group after coming from behind to defeat Chinese side Shandong Taishan 1-0 on Tuesday night.

In Group I, Japan’s Kawasaki Frontale leads, following a 1-0 victory at home against South Korean champions, and 2020 Asian Champions League winners, Ulsan Hyundai. Malaysian club Johor Darul Ta’zim moved to second with their 4-2 win away at Thailand’s BG Pathum United.

The group stage, which this year returned to a home-and-away format for the first time since early 2020, will run until mid-December, with the 10 pool winners and the six best second-placed teams advancing to the knockout rounds. That will begin in February 2024. The final takes place, across two legs, in May.