11/04/24 04:14:00
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11/04 16:11 CST Neymar picks up another injury in second game back from ACL tear
Neymar picks up another injury in second game back from ACL tear
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) --- Neymar picked up another injury on Monday in just
his second game since returning from a 12-month absence as Saudi Arabia's
Al-Hilal defeated Esteghlal of Iran 3-0 in the AFC Champions League Elite.
The Brazilian has only recently recovered from a torn ACL and came off the
bench in Riyadh after 58 minutes. However, the 32 year-old forward had to come
off with three minutes remaining, having seemed to pull up after stretching his
leg out for the ball in the penalty area.
Neymar has time to recover before his next game, however, as he is not
registered for the team's matches in the Saudi Pro League and the next fixture
in the AFC competition is on Nov. 25.
Aleksandar Mitrovic scored a hat trick for Al-Hilal, the four-time Asian
champion which has now won all four games in the group stage.
All three goals from the Serbian came from close range. He opened the scoring
after 15 minutes, added a second just after the half-hour mark and then
completed his hat trick with 16 minutes remaining.
Al-Hilal remains top of the 12-team group, where the top eight will advance to
the Round of 16. It is above Saudi Arabian rival Al-Ahli on goal difference
after the team from Jeddah thrashed Al-Shorta of Iraq 5-1 with former Liverpool
forward Roberto Firmino scoring twice in the first half.
Earlier, Al-Wasl of the United Arab Emirates drew 1-1 with Qatar's Al-Sadd and
the game between Persepolis of Iran and Al-Gharafa of Qatar ended in the same
scoreline.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
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