Al Ahly clinched their maiden Asian Champions League title at the third time of asking with a 2-0 win over Japan’s Kawasaki Frontale in Jeddah on Saturday.
The Saudi Arabian side, previously runners-up in 1986 and 2012, finally lifted the continent’s top club trophy at their King Abdullah Sports City Stadium thanks to two first-half goals in quick succession from Galeno and Franck Kessie.
All knockout stage matches of this season’s competition were held in Jeddah, offering Al Ahly a considerable advantage on home turf. The triumph also saw high-profile stars Roberto Firmino, Edouard Mendy, and Riyad Mahrez etch their names into the history books as the first players to win both the UEFA Champions League and the Asian equivalent, having lifted the European title with Liverpool, Chelsea, and Manchester City respectively.
The club, backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, also pocketed $10 million in prize money for their success. Under the guidance of German coach Matthias Jaissle, Al Ahly completed the tournament undefeated, winning nine and drawing four of their 13 fixtures.
Kawasaki Frontale were making their debut in a Champions League final, having never progressed beyond the quarter-finals before this season. Despite their semi-final heroics in ousting Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr, they found Al Ahly a step too far.
Al Ahly started brightly, with new signing Ivan Toney testing goalkeeper Louis Yamaguchi inside five minutes. Moments later, Ziyad Al Hosani’s close-range effort was kept out from the ensuing corner. Frontale did offer a threat through Brazilian winger Marcinho, who danced down the left before narrowly missing the far post with a low shot.
But the Saudis looked more menacing throughout the opening half. Firmino, who wore the captain’s armband, teed up Galeno on 35 minutes and the Brazilian winger marked his €50 million January switch from Porto with a stunning 25-yard strike into the top corner.
Just before the break, Firmino delivered another telling contribution, floating a cross into the six-yard box for Kessie to meet with a thumping header to double the advantage. The assist brought Firmino’s tally to seven for the tournament — one behind team-mate Mahrez, who leads the competition’s assist chart.
Frontale, meanwhile, failed to muster a single shot on target in the first half. The Japanese outfit improved slightly after the interval, with substitute Tatsuya Ito firing two efforts just wide, but they never seriously threatened to mount a comeback.
Firmino and Mahrez both missed the target with speculative efforts before the Brazilian forward was substituted to a standing ovation in the 74th minute.
Al Ahli now join fellow Saudi sides Al Hilal and Al Ittihad in the exclusive club of Champions League winners from the Kingdom, capping off a flawless campaign with a night of celebration in Jeddah.
