Ten-man Al Ahli successfully defended their AFC Champions League Elite title at home in Saudi Arabia, after edging Japan's Machida Zelvia 1-0 in extra time in Jeddah on Saturday.
Al Ahli's players celebrate with the trophy after beating Machida Zelvia in the AFC Champions League Elite final in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, April 25, 2026. (Photo: VCG)
The first real chance came just 13 minutes into the final, when Enzo Millot slipped a first-time pass to Galeno on the left. The Brazilian then forced a low save from Kosei Tani, before Daihachi Okamura stepped in to deny Ivan Toney on the rebound.
Al Ahli kept up the pressure, with Merih Demiral coming close to scoring shortly before halftime. His effort clipped the crossbar, after another dangerous pass from Galeno caused problems in the box.
With 22 minutes left on the clock, Ali Hawsawi was sent off following a headbutt against Tete Yengi. The red card reduced Al Ahli to ten players.
Machida Zelvia pushed forward, but Edouard Mendy stood firm between the posts to deny Hiroyuki Mae, before producing another fine stop to keep out Yuki Soma.
In the sixth minute of extra time, Riyad Mahrez sent in a precise pass and Feras Al-Brikan made no mistake, finding the net to give Al Ahli a hard-fought 1-0 lead.
Mahrez had a chance to double the margin shortly afterward, but sailed his effort over the crossbar, leaving one final moment of drama.
A late pass caused confusion, with Mendy unable to gather the ball, but Demiral cleared the danger and Al Ahli made history by becoming the first club to win back-to-back Asian titles since Al Ittihad in 2005.