Qatar’s Al Sadd secured their place in the AFC Champions League Elite quarter-finals after a dramatic penalty shootout victory over Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal on Tuesday night. The Round of 16 clash, held at the Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, ended 3-3 after extra time, with Al Sadd prevailing 4-2 in the shootout. The win sets up a quarter-final matchup against Japan’s Vissel Kobe on Thursday.

Al Sadd showed remarkable resilience throughout the match, coming from behind three times against a strong Al Hilal side missing key defender Kalidou Koulibaly. The Qatari team started aggressively, testing Al Hilal goalkeeper Yassine Bounou early on. Mohamed Camara’s long-range effort in the third minute forced Bounou into a save, while Roberto Firmino also had a notable chance as Al Sadd sought to capitalize on Al Hilal’s defensive disruption.

However, Al Hilal drew first blood in the 29th minute when Theo Hernandez’s determination to recover a loose ball set up Sergej Milinkovic-Savic to score. Al Sadd quickly responded, equalizing seven minutes later through Claudinho, who capitalized on a defensive error to lift the ball over Bounou and level the score at halftime.

The second half saw continued back-and-forth action. Al Hilal regained the lead in the 55th minute through Salem Al Dawsari, who finished from close range following a precise assist by Ruben Neves. Al Sadd were undeterred and once again leveled the match three minutes later via Rafael Mujica, who converted a sharp pass from Claudinho.

Al Hilal’s coach Simone Inzaghi made a tactical substitution in the 65th minute, bringing on Marcos Leonardo. The change paid dividends almost immediately as Leonardo slotted a low finish past Al Sadd’s goalkeeper Meshaal Barsham two minutes later. Yet, Al Sadd matched that response swiftly when Roberto Firmino headed in a cross from Augustin Soria to equalize once more, sending the full match into extra time.

The additional 30 minutes saw few clear chances, with the closest coming in the 114th minute when Al Hilal’s Pablo Mari’s curling shot narrowly missed the target. Neither team could find a winner before the shootout ensued.

In the penalty shootout, Al Sadd recovered from an early miss by Firmino, while Al Hilal faltered on attempts from Karim Benzema and Saimon Bouabre. Al Sadd captain Akram Afif ultimately converted the decisive spot kick, sealing the 4-2 shootout victory and advancement to the quarter-finals.