Al Hilal progressed to the AFC Champions League s last four after a goalless draw at Al Sadd gave them a 1-0 aggregate win.
The Saudi Arabia outfit hit the road with a slender lead thanks to Salman Al Faraj s fine finish in the first leg.
And they withstood late pressure from their Qatari opponents to book a spot in the competition s semi-finals, where they will play Al Ittihad or Al Ain.
Al Sadd will rue their luck, though, after Saleh Al Yazidi hit the post just three minutes from time.
His left-foot shot beat Al Hilal goalkeeper Abdullah Al Sudairy, but came back off the upright as Al Yazidi – who headed straight at the keeper only moments earlier – was again denied.
Al Sadd dominated first-half possession, but struggled to convert it into …
Karim Benzema s lawyer has claimed a great victory after France s Court of Cassation ruled in his favour in a blackmail case involving him and former international colleague Mathieu Valbuena.
Benzema was charged by police in 2015 in connection to an alleged blackmail attempt targeting Valbuena with a sex tape, a case which is yet to go to trial.
The Real Madrid star has been exiled from France s national team since the incident, and missed out on a place at Euro 2016 on home soil as a result.
Benzema saw an appeal against the charges rejected in December last year, but the Court of Cassation France s court of final appeals in civil and criminal proceedings has backed him.
Defence for Benzema argued that police acted dishonestly as an undercover officer po…
Bacary Sagna says Manchester City remain confident they can win the Premier League title as they prepare to face Norwich City at Carrow Road on Saturday.
Manuel Pellegrini s side are 10 points behind leaders Leicester City, but recorded a comfortable 4-0 win over Aston Villa last weekend and still hold a game in hand over the rest of the top four.
City famously claimed their first Premier League title in 2012 despite sitting eight points behind leaders Manchester United with just six games to play, and a late run of form saw them overhaul Liverpool and Chelsea in their last victorious campaign in 2013-14.
And Sagna sees no reason why they cannot repeat the feat over their final 10 matches this term as they look to sustain their fearsome form at Carrow Road, wher…