In the early hours of Tuesday morning (22nd), another exciting matchup took place on the Asian soccer map. Brazilian legend Nima, who has been out injured for more than a year, finally returned to the field of play, donning the colors of Saudi giants Hilal. The 32-year-old striker showed unparalleled elegance with his trademark dribbling, shooting and passing in just ten minutes. Even with 10 men, Hilal beat previous champions Aaan by a dramatic 5-4 scoreline to lead the group with three wins from three matches.
Nima, who moved to Hilal last year for a high price but played only five matches due to a torn cruciate ligament in his knee, got back to his dream after a 369-day wait and took to the field again on Tuesday. Hilal took a 3-1 lead over AFC Champions League newcomers Aaan in the first half, with Nima coming on as a substitute but finally suiting up in the 77th minute of the second half. After the change of sides, the two sides engaged in a tug-of-war, with goals coming and going like plums, and Nima's presence certainly gave Hilal a shot in the arm.
Bruna's parents and girlfriend Biancardi were in the audience to witness this historic moment. Although Nima was unable to play the full match due to injury, another Hilal player, Ebrich, was red-carded and Nima was a godsend. On a counter-attack, he fired a shot to the dead center of the far post, and the goalkeeper was awarded a foul for Nima's breakthrough despite holding the ball out with his fingertips. Iaan scored a number of goals in stoppage time, but Nima's comeback performance was, in the end, uneventful.
After the match, Nima was excited to say, "I feel great... I'm really happy to be playing for such a great team again, I'm back! I'm back!" Since joining Hilal, Nima has played 6 games and contributed 3 assists. His contract with Hilal expires next summer, but the team has the right to extend it for more than a year.
