Al-Ahli beat Machida Zelvia in extra time to retain the AFC Champions League Elite title

Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ahli successfully defended the AFC Champions League Elite crown after beating first-place finalist Machida Zelvia of Japan 1-0 on Saturday.

It took an extra-time goal from Saudi international striker Firas Al-Burikan to settle an ill-tempered final in front of 60,000 mostly Al-Ahli fans in Jeddah.

Al-Ahli played with ten men for almost an hour, but Machida could not make the lead count.

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There were few scoring opportunities in the first half, although Al-Ahli, owned by the Saudi Public Investment Fund, should have taken the lead when Brazilian winger Galeno broke free from the Machida defense and saw his low shot saved by goalkeeper Kosei Tani. Just before half time, Merih Demiral’s shot from close range was blocked on the line.

Al-Ahli were 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 changed the momentum. Machida forced Al-Ahli goalkeeper Edouard Mendy to make several saves. Normal time ended when Al-Ahli substitute Mohammed Abdulrahman also showed a red card while on the touchline.

The deadlock was broken in the sixth minute of extra time when former Barcelona and AC Milan midfielder Franck Kessie laid the ball in front of Al-Burikan and fired high into the net from close range.

Al-Ahli became the first team to win consecutive Asian titles since city rivals Al-Ittihad in 2005.

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The testy final reflected the problems during the tournament.

All matches from the quarter-final onwards took place in Jeddah, and only 395 spectators attended Machida’s semi-final victory over Shabab Al-Ahli of the United Arab Emirates.

Due to the war in the Middle East, the round of 16 in West Asia was postponed from March to April and reduced from two legs to one.

There were doubts over whether teams from East Asia would travel to Saudi Arabia for the knockout rounds, but Machida, who have never won the J1 League, made club history.

Published on April 26, 2026