Al-Ahli of Saudi Arabia ended their long absence from major continental glory by winning the first edition of the revamped AFC Champions League (Elite Level), making history. The title was secured after an epic battle against Japan’s Kawasaki Frontale at the “Al-Jawhara” Stadium in Jeddah, with goals from Wanderson Galeno and Franck Kessié.

Middle East newspaper Al-Sharq Al-Awsat reported under the headline “Al-Ahli is Asia’s New King”: Thousands of Al-Ahli fans celebrated their team’s return to glory on a night filled with green, reviving past glories for the “Fortress of Cups” and securing Saudi Arabia’s first title in the new format of the competition.

After the final, Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, President of the Asian Football Confederation, alongside Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Sports, presented the championship trophy and gold medals to Al-Ahli players, while silver medals were awarded to Kawasaki Frontale.

First Half: “A Tense Half”
The first half was a cautious affair, with both teams probing each other. The deadlock was broken in the 35th minute when Galeno, Al-Ahli’s Brazilian star, scored with a clever shot that the Kawasaki goalkeeper couldn’t stop. Seven minutes later, Kessié headed in a cross from Galeno to make it 2-0 at halftime.

Second Half:
Al-Ahli maintained their rhythm with quick attacks, keeping Kawasaki under pressure. Despite Kawasaki’s efforts, Al-Ahli’s solid defense held firm until the final whistle.

Founded in 1937, Al-Ahli had previously lost two AFC Champions League finals—once in 1986 (old format) against Japan’s JEF United and again in 2012 against South Korea’s Ulsan Hyundai (3-0).

Al-Ahli is now the third Saudi club to win this prestigious Asian title, after Al-Hilal (4 titles) and Al-Ittihad (2 titles). This marks Saudi Arabia’s seventh continental title, placing them third behind South Korea (12) and Japan (8).

After a group-stage exit in the 2021 AFC Champions League, Al-Ahli returned strongly, starting with a 1-0 win over Iran’s Persepolis. They secured five consecutive victories, ensuring early qualification to the knockout stages.

Wins against UAE’s Al-Wasl (2-0), Qatar’s Al-Rayyan (2-1), Iraq’s Al-Shorta (5-1), and UAE’s Al-Ain (2-1) paved their path to glory.

Their winning streak was halted by a 2-2 draw with Iran’s Esteghlal, but they finished second in the group stage with 7 wins and 1 draw.

In the knockout stages, Al-Ahli defeated Al-Rayyan (3-1, 2-0), Thailand’s Buriram United (3-0), and Al-Hilal (3-1) in the semifinals.

How Did Kawasaki Frontale Reach the Final?
Kawasaki started with a narrow 1-0 win over South Korea’s Ulsan Hyundai (goal by Marcinho in the 54th minute) but then lost 1-0 to South Korea’s Guangzhou and 2-0 to China’s Shanghai Shenhua.

They bounced back with a 3-1 win over Shanghai Port and a 3-0 victory against Buriram, finishing second in the East Zone group behind Yokohama F. Marinos.

In the Round of 16, Kawasaki faced Shanghai Shenhua again. After a 1-0 first-leg loss, they won 4-0 in the return leg (goals by Asahi Sasaki, Élison, Tatsuya Ito, and Marcinho) to advance 4-1 on aggregate.

They then defeated Qatar’s Al-Sadd 3-2 (AET) in the quarterfinals and Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr (featuring Cristiano Ronaldo) 3-2 in the semifinals.

Ultimately, the story ended in Jeddah, where Al-Ahli delivered a dominant performance, crowning themselves as Asia’s new kings.