Ighalo’s brace sends Al Hilal into Champions League round of 16
Odion Ighalo produced a man-of-the-match performance with two first-half goals that inspired Al Hilal to a 3-0 win over Tajikistan’s Istiklol on Tuesday night.
The victory powered Al Hilal to the round of 16 of the AFC Champions League with two group games to spare, as they look to defend the continental crown they won last season.
Ighalo opened the scoring for the visitors in Riyadh following an assist from Salman Al Faraj in the eighth minute and he doubled the lead in the 33rd minute.
Salem Al Dawsari later sealed the maximum points with his 92nd-minute goal.
This season, Ighalo has scored 25 goals across all competitions including the 12 goals he scored for Al Shabab before his departure in January.
The Super Eagles striker will be aiming to continue his impressive goalscoring run when Al Hilal face Sharjah and Al Rayyan for their next two games.
