Unbeaten Al-Ahli wins maiden Asian Champions League title
JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia, May 4, (AP): Al-Ahli of Saudi Arabia won its first AFC Champions League Elite title after beating Kawasaki Frontale of Japan 2-0 in the final.
The star-studded Jeddah team, playing at home in front of 60,000 fans at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium, deserved what was a comfortable victory and completed an unbeaten tournament.
First-half goals from Galeno and Franck Kessie put the two-time beaten finalist in control against the five-time Japanese champion.
Al-Ahli was on top early and made the breakthrough after 35 minutes. Roberto Firmino fed Galeno outside the area, and the Brazilian winger, signed from Porto in January for around $55 million, curled a shot into the top corner.
Three minutes before the break, Firmino, who went on to be named as the tournament's most valuable player, crossed from the right for Kessie, and the former AC Milan and Barcelona midfielder headed home from close range.
Kawasaki, which knocked out Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr in the semifinals to reach its first final, pressured after the restart but struggled to create clear chances against a team full of big-game experience.
Firmino, signed from Liverpool in 2023, is a past UEFA Champions League winner, as are team-mates Riyad Mahrez and Edouard Mendy, who lifted the trophy with Manchester City and Chelsea respectively.
Mahrez, with nine goals in the tournament, came close to adding a third late in the final, firing just wide.
The home fans were already celebrating.
"We are so proud. Once we knew that the final eight would be in Jeddah, it was our goal to be champions in front of our fans,' Al-Ahli goalkeeper Mendy said.
"Since I came here 18 months ago, they have supported us so much. As I said when I signed, it was to make history, to win trophies, and to make this club as big as it was before.'
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