04-05-2025
What they said: All the best reaction as Al Ahli wins ACL Elite title
History was made on Saturday night as Al Ahli secured its first ever AFC Champions League Elite title – winning the first edition of the rebranded tournament. It ended a long wait for the club from Jeddah, which had lost two previous finals in 1986 and 2012.
But first-half goals from winger Galeno and midfielder Franck Kessis saw Al Ahli beat Japan's Kawasaki Frontale 2-0 to finally lift Asia's biggest club prize. Al Ahli became only the third Saudi club to win the tournament after Al Hilal and Al Ittihad as Matthias Jaissle's side celebrated a milestone triumph on Saturday night.
Here, Al Arabiya English brings you all the best reaction and quotes after Al Ahli's ACL Elite triumph from the football world.
Matthias Jaissle – Al Ahli coach
'It's a crazy journey to be honest,' Jaissle said of Al Ahli's victory after the game. 'Not that long ago it looked completely different. But the fans, the club, they deserved it. How emotional they are and how much support they bring into the club is unbelievable and therefore the guys could deliver today and bring something back that they deserve.
'I'm so, so proud of the players. How they were performing, the whole journey in this competition. They put all the effort into that and the fans, who always created an amazing atmosphere and support, which is something we never took for granted.
'Together we can achieve special things and this is what happened tonight. [I'm] almost speechless. All respect for our opponent, they caused us difficulties. Overall, we totally deserved it. We didn't have one loss in this competition. Big chapeau [congratulations] to the players and the whole club.'
Roberto Firmino – Al Ahli captain and ACL Elite MVP
'I am very happy and proud of the team, and of course very happy to make history here at this club,' Al Ahli captain Firmino said after being named tournament MVP for the 2024-25 season. 'It is not easy to become champions. We fight every match, and I call it the monster mentality. When you have the monster mentality to win all the games, then you become champions.'
Riyad Mahrez – Al Ahli winger and scorer of nine ACL elite goals
'This is why we play football, to play in matches like this,' said Mahrez, who along with Firmino and goalkeeper Edouard Mendy became the first player to lift the UEFA and AFC Champions League titles. 'It is the first time for Al Ahli Club to win the Champions League. That was the aim. When we came here we wanted to make Al Ahli top of Asia and that is what we did.
'We played so good throughout the competition. We knew today would be a tricky game but we were so strong and so focused. That is how you win trophies and we are so happy. Now we have to celebrate and enjoy it with our family and friends.'
Edouard Mendy – ACL elite 'Best Goalkeeper' winner
'We are so proud,' Al Ahli goalkeeper Mendy told reporters after the game. 'Once we knew that the final eight would be in Jeddah, it was our goal to be champions in front of our fans. Since I came here eighteen months ago, they have supported us so much.
'As I said when I signed here, it is to make the story – to continue to win trophies and make this club as big as it was before. The secret [to winning] is that my team-mates fought. If someone makes the effort, it will make it for the one next to saw the fire, you saw the spirit.'
Shigetoshi Hasebe – Kawasaki Frontale coach
'For us, if we could play as we planned, we could have won,' losing coach Hasebe reflected in the post-match press conference. 'We showed that in the last two games, but tonight it didn't work so we have to do more in the future. This result is not what we expected. They played well. We conceded two goals and they deserve to be champions.
'Al Ahli could show their strength in the first half and we couldn't show ours. The key was the second goal that we conceded. The individual levels might be different but I believe both the individual and the team are very important. We showed our skill in the last game, but in every single game we played here we conceded two goals. That's something we need to improve in the future.'
Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa – AFC president
'Our heartfelt congratulations go to Al Ahli for reaching the pinnacle of Asian club football with this historic victory. Their remarkable determination and consistency throughout the campaign are truly commendable. We must also praise Kawasaki Frontale for their fantastic run to the showpiece final and contributing to a thoroughly entertaining spectacle befitting of this prestigious competition.'
