JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (AFP) – Roberto Firmino and Ivan Toney fired Al Ahli into the AFC Champions League Elite final with a commanding 3-1 victory over Saudi rivals Al Hilal on Tuesday night in Jeddah.
Playing effectively on home turf at King Abdullah Sports City, Al Ahli produced a dominant performance to secure their spot in Saturday’s championship clash, where they’ll face either Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr or Japan’s Kawasaki Frontale.
Al Ahli took control early, opening the scoring in the 9th minute. Brazilian winger Galeno darted to the byline and delivered a sharp cut-back for compatriot Firmino, who rifled the ball into the net to notch his sixth goal of the tournament.
The lead doubled in the 29th minute, as Riyad Mahrez sliced open the defense with a pinpoint through-ball to Toney, who rounded goalkeeper Yassine Bounou and calmly slotted home. The former Brentford striker joined Firmino at six goals for the tournament, while Mahrez padded his assist tally to a competition-leading eight.
Al Hilal, record four-time winners of the Asian title, responded just before halftime. Salem Al Dawsari capitalized on a misplayed touch from Franck Kessie to hammer in his 10th goal of the campaign, taking the outright lead in the Golden Boot race.
The second half saw no shortage of drama. Toney had two goals ruled out for offside, while both Firmino and Galeno struck the post in a flurry of chances. Al Hilal’s hopes took a major blow in the 59th minute when former Chelsea center-back Kalidou Koulibaly was sent off after receiving a second yellow card.
Al Ahli missed a chance to put the game to bed in the 85th minute when Kessie’s penalty – earned after Mahrez was brought down – was saved by Bounou. However, substitute Feras Al Buraikan made no mistake in stoppage time, scoring just moments after coming on to cap the win.
Unbeaten throughout this season’s AFC Champions League Elite campaign, Al Ahli will now aim to capture their first-ever continental crown, having finished as runners-up in their only previous final appearance in 2012.
Al Nassr and Kawasaki Frontale face off in the second semi-final on Wednesday, also in Jeddah, setting up a potential all-Saudi Arabian final on Saturday.
