Al Hilal set world record

AFP | Jeddah, Saudi Arabia                                              

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal set a world record for consecutive victories with their 28th win in a row to reach the Asian Champions League semi-finals on Tuesday.

A 2-0 victory at fellow Saudi side Al Ittihad saw them surpass the previous record of 27 straight wins by a top-flight team, set by Welsh team The New Saints in 2016.

Riyadh-based Hilal, already the most successful team in AFC Champions League history with four titles, went through 4-0 on aggregate in Jeddah.

Runners-up last year, Hilal triumphed in the quar - ter-final seco n d leg a t King Abdullah Sports City Stadium with second-half goals from Yasser Al Shahrani and the Brazilian Malcom.

Hilal will meet Al Ain of the UAE in the last four next month following the 2003 champions' penalty shootout win against Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr on Monday.

Al Hilal coach warns no celebrating yet despite world record

Al Hilal coach Jorge Jesus called their record of 28 consecutive wins “momentous” but warned it will mean nothing if they finish the season without silverware.

Riyadh-based Hilal surpassed the previous record of 27 straight wins by a top-flight team, set by Welsh side The New Saints in the 2016-2017 season.

Already the most successful team in AFC Champions League history with four titles, they went through 4-0 on aggregate and face Al Ain of the United Arab Emirates in the last four next month. “Everyone at Al Hilal is delighted to achieve world football history by winning 28 consecutive matches,” the veteran Portuguese Jesus said, according to the AFC website.

“This is truly an incredible achievement and I want to thank everyone at the club for their part in this momentous winning record.” But Jesus warned: “As I have said throughout this period, records do not matter as much as trophies.

“It is up to everyone at Al Hilal to ensure that we close out the season as Saudi League champions and meet our targets in the cup competitions.

“Only then can we truly celebrate.” Hilal are closing on glory on multiple fronts.

They are 12 points clear of Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr in the Saudi Pro League and are in the Saudi Super Cup.