JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Al-Ahli of Saudi Arabia successfully defended the AFC Champions League Elite crown after beating first-time finalist Machida Zelvia of Japan 1-0 on Saturday.
It took an extra-time goal from Saudi international striker Firas Al-Burikan to settle a bad-tempered final in front of 60,000 mainly Al-Ahli fans in Jeddah.
Al-Ahli played with 10 men for almost an hour but Machida was unable to make the advantage count.
“It's amazing,” said Al-Ahli winger Riyad Mahrez, who won the UEFA Champions League with Manchester City in 2023. “It was difficult for us again. We like to make it difficult for ourselves. Ten against 11 is nearly impossible, I don’t know how we found the strength and the energy. ... After the red card we stuck together, we fought more, we ran more until we scored.”
There were few scoring opportunities in the first half although Al-Ahli, owned by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, should have taken the lead when Brazilian winger Galeno broke free of the Machida defense only to see his low shot saved by goalkeeper Kosei Tani. Just before the break, Merih Demiral's close-range effort was blocked on the line.
Al-Ahli was reduced to 10 men midway through the second half when Zakaria Hawsawi was sent off for headbutting Tete Yangi as the two came together in front of the referee.
The dismissal shifted the momentum. Machida forced Al-Ahli goalkeeper Edouard Mendy into several saves. Normal time ended with Al-Ahli substitute Mohammed Abdulrahman also shown a red card while on the sidelines.
The deadlock was broken in the sixth minute of extra time when former Barcelona and AC Milan midfielder Franck Kessie laid the ball off for Al-Burikan to fire high into the net from close range.
Al-Ahli became the first team to win back-to-back Asian titles since city rival Al-Ittihad in 2005.
“We are very happy to have reached the final,” Machida coach Go Kuroda said. “Al-Ahli is a team that possesses experience in the championship and we conceded a goal at a difficult time and couldn't get back into the game.”
The tetchy final reflected issues throughout the tournament.
All games from the quarterfinal stage onward were staged in Jeddah, and only 395 spectators attended Machida’s semifinal win over Shabab Al-Ahli of the United Arab Emirates.
The war in the Middle East postponed round-of-16 matches in West Asia from March to April and reduced them from two legs to one.
There were doubts over whether East Asia teams would travel to Saudi Arabia for the knockout rounds, but Tokyo Metropolis-based Machida, which has never won the J1 League, made club history.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
Join us at the San Mateo Performing Arts Center on May 1 and May 2 at 7:30 PM for a dynamic … Read moreMateo Motion XXII
Get ready for an exhilarating morning at the Third Annual Foster City 5k Fun Run on Saturday… Read moreFoster City 5k
Come support local artists and small business! Our 3rd annual Spring Studio Sale! Read moreSpring Studio Sale
Join us May 9th for the District 4 Toastmasters 2026 Conference - Eras of YOU: Renewing Huma… Read moreDistrict 4 Annual Conference - Eras of YOU Renewing Human Resilience in the Generative AI Era
Dirk van Ulden said:
Greg - thank you for this wake up call. It is relevant for many of us in similar situations.
Dirk van Ulden said:
Well - good for you but that unicum is still not convincing.
LittleFoot said:
LittleFoot said:
I challenge you to challenge me, Terence.
LittleFoot said:
Voting is for children. Politics is WWE - Hollywood for ugly people.
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.