Al Ahli reach third AFC Champions League Elite final | OneFootball

Al Ahli reached the AFC Champions League Elite final for the third time in their history after an emphatic 3-1 victory over fellow Roshn Saudi League side Al Hilal in front of 50,613 fans in the first semi-final clash on Tuesday.

Continuing an incredible unbeaten run in the competition this season, Al Ahli had last reached the final in 2012, coincidentally also having beaten another Saudi team in the semi-final then – city rivals Al Ittihad. They previously also reached the final in 1986, losing to Korean sides on both occasions.

Al Ahli’s Brazilian trio combined to send their fans into raptures inside seven minutes. Roger Ibanez drove forward and fed Galeno down the left, and the former Porto man accelerated past his marker and crossed from the byline for club captain Roberto Firmino who swept it in first time for the opener.

The Jeddah side doubled their lead just before the half-hour mark and did so in style; Riyad Mahrez picked up the ball down the middle and supplied an exceptional through pass for Ivan Toney who intelligently rounded goalkeeper Yassine Bounou and sent the ball into the back of the net despite Kalidou Koulibaly’s desperate attempts to clear.

A mistake from Franck Kessie saw the Ivory Coast captain lose the ball on the edge of his area and was instantly punished by Saudi Arabia and Al Hilal captain Salem Al Dawsari who snatched the ball and fired home for his tenth goal of the continental campaign, moving past Mahrez as the top scorer of the 2024-25 AFC Champions League Elite.

Toney thought he had restored the two-goal gap early in the second half when he got to the ball first and finished past Bounou from close range, but the Englishman was deemed to have strayed into an offside position.

A raucous celebration by Al Ahli fans was once more cut short minutes later as Toney stabbed home Ezgjan Alioski’s delivery from the left, but this time it was the former Leeds United full-back who was offside in the build-up.

Just seconds after coach Jorge Jesus had made two substitutions, his Al Hilal side suffered a major blow with Koulibaly collecting a second yellow card, following a heavy challenge on Roger Ibanez, having been booked for a similar incident against Toney before the break, leaving his team to play the last 30 minutes with ten men. Youngster Kaio Cesar was left in tears as he was subsequently taken off just eight minutes after his introduction as Jesus looked to bring Hassan Tambakti as a defensive option.

The home fans were left in disbelief after the left post denied them three times, including twice in one attack; Firmino’s poked shot that beat the goalkeeper but bounced off the upright then deflected off Toney for Mahrez who looked to apply the finish but stuck it against the exact same spot. Minutes later, it was Galeno’s turn to aim for woodwork.

Seven minutes from time, Al Ahli were awarded a penalty after substitute Hamad Al Yami tripped Mahrez inside the box after the Algerian had danced his way past two defenders following a quick counter attack. Kessie stepped up to take it but was denied by a fantastic Bounou save to keep Al Hilal’s hopes alive.

A moment of magic in the dying embers saw Feras Al Buraikan create history seconds after entering the pitch to replace Firmino. The Saudi international forward picked up Toney’s pass and buried it into the back of the net as the roof of Alinma Stadium was shattered with the joy of the Al Ahli faithful celebrating the confirmation of their place in the final.

A potential all-RSL final is on the cards as Al Nassr take on Japan’s Kawasaki Frontale in the second semi-final on Wednesday.