Jaissle applauds perfect Al Ahli

Sun, 27 Apr, 2025

Jaissle applauds perfect Al Ahli

Jeddah: Al Ahli Saudi FC head coach Matthias Jaissle hailed his side’s “perfect match” after their commanding 3-0 victory over Buriram United secured a place in the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League Elite™ Finals Jeddah 2025 on Saturday.

Jaissle highlighted the energy from both his players and the home fans, saying it laid the foundation for their impressive victory, which set up an enticing semi-final against fellow Saudi Arabia side Al Hilal SFC.

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Alioski: Belief powering Al Ahli Saudi

Sun, 27 Apr, 2025

Alioski: Belief powering Al Ahli Saudi

Jeddah: For Ezgjan Alioski, belief was the driving force behind Al Ahli Saudi FC’s 3-0 triumph over Buriram United of Thailand on Saturday, a result that propelled them into the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League Elite™ Finals Jeddah 2025.

The 33-year-old Macedonian international, who was replaced by Matteo Dams after putting in a good shift, highlighted Al Ahli’s mentality and team spirit as the keys behind their consistency this season..

Loss: Heartbreak will spur Buriram's growth

Sun, 27 Apr, 2025

Loss: Heartbreak will spur Buriram's growth

Jeddah: Osmar Loss was proud of his Buriram United side despite their 3-0 defeat to Al Ahli Saudi FC in the quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League Elite™ Finals Jeddah 2025 on Saturday, with the head coach looking at the bigger picture.

Loss, who was forced to rotate his squad heavily due to the demands of a domestic schedule, said the experience gained by his younger players was invaluable for the club’s future ambitions.

Q-final: Super Al Ahli power past Buriram

Sun, 27 Apr, 2025

Q-final: Super Al Ahli power past Buriram

Jeddah: Al Ahli Saudi FC produced a sparkling display to cruise 3-0 past Buriram United in the quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League Elite™ Finals Jeddah 2025 at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium on Saturday.

Al Ahli turned on the power in the first half, racing to a three-goal lead as they set up a tantalising semi-final encounter with fellow Saudi Arabia side Al Hilal SFC, who defeated Gwangju FC 7-0 on Friday.

Ronaldo, Mane set sights on more

Sun, 27 Apr, 2025

Ronaldo, Mane set sights on more

Jeddah: Cristiano Ronaldo was thrilled to see Al Nassr Club’s frontline firing on all cylinders after they booked their place in the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League Elite™ Finals Jeddah 2025 with a 4-1 success over Yokohama F. Marinos on Saturday.

The Portuguese took his tournament tally to eight with an opportunistic strike in the 38th minute, after earlier efforts from Jhon Duran and Sadio Mane had given Al Nassr a healthy lead.

Duran's return to form a relief for Pioli

Sun, 27 Apr, 2025

Duran's return to form a relief for Pioli

Jeddah: Head coach Stefano Pioli was delighted to see forward Jhon Duran finding his goalscoring form in Al Nassr Club’s 4-1 win against Yokohama F. Marinos in the AFC Champions League Elite™ Finals Jeddah 2025 on Saturday.

The Colombian - without a goal in his four previous matches - scored once in each half with Pioli hoping they serve as a confidence booster for the striker going into the semi-final encounter against either Kawasaki Frontale of Japan or Qatar’s Al Sadd SC.

Kisnorbo, Kato rue Marinos’ slow start

Sun, 27 Apr, 2025

Kisnorbo, Kato rue Marinos’ slow start

Jeddah: Head coach Patrick Kisnorbo and midfielder Ren Kato were in agreement that Yokohama F. Marinos’s 4-1 defeat to Al Nassr Club in the quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League Elite™ Finals Jeddah 2025 on Saturday was down to a poor first half showing.

Al Nassr led 3-0 at the break thanks to efforts from Jhon Duran, Sadio Mane and Cristiano Ronaldo as the Marinos made their exit, with Kisnorbo feeling that it was out of sync with how his team performed in the opening minutes of the first half.

Q-final: Duran shines as Al Nassr end Marinos' dreams

Mon, 28 Apr, 2025

Q-final: Duran shines as Al Nassr end Marinos' dreams

Jeddah: Al Nassr Club scored thrice in 11 first half minutes to take their place in the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League Elite™ Finals Jeddah 2025 after defeating Yokohama F. Marinos 4-1 in their last eight tie on Saturday.

Jhon Duran netted two with Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Mane bagging one each as the Saudi Arabian side set up a last four meeting with either Japan’s Kawasaki Frontale or Al Sadd SC of Qatar on Wednesday.

Preview - QF: Kawasaki Frontale (JPN) v Al Sadd SC (QAT)

Mon, 28 Apr, 2025

Preview - QF: Kawasaki Frontale (JPN) v Al Sadd SC (QAT)

Jeddah: Head coach Shigetoshi Hasebe intends to stay true to his footballing principles when Kawasaki Frontale face Al Sadd SC in the quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League Elite™ Finals Jeddah 2025 on Sunday.

Despite coming into the tournament on the back of a five-match winless run domestically, Hasebe has no intention of making drastic changes to the Japanese side.

While acknowledging Al Hilal SFC’s incredible 7-0 win against Gwangju FC in Friday’s opening quarter-final tie, Hasebe does not believe the result can be used as a yardstick for other matches.

Wakizaka aiming to take Frontale to new heights

Sat, 26 Apr, 2025

Wakizaka aiming to take Frontale to new heights

Jeddah: Yasuto Wakizaka wants to create history for Kawasaki Frontale by helping the Japanese club win the AFC Champions League Elite™ Finals Jeddah 2025 title.

The club captain has won it all domestically with Frontale - three J1 League titles, two Emperor’s Cup and one J.League Cup but continental success has eluded the midfielder. 

Al Sadd’s Al Haydos determined to relive glory of 2011

Sat, 26 Apr, 2025

Al Sadd’s Al Haydos determined to relive glory of 2011

Jeddah: Hasan Al Haydos is as ambitious as ever with the Qatar and Al Sadd SC legend aiming to add the AFC Champions League Elite™ Finals Jeddah 2025 title to his 2011 triumph.

A then 20-year-old Al Haydos played a pivotal role as Al Sadd lifted the 2011 AFC Champions League™ trophy by beating Korea Republic’s Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC 4-2 on penalties with the midfielder netting in the shoot-out.

QF - Kawasaki Frontale (JPN) v Al Sadd SC (QAT): Facts & Figures

Sat, 26 Apr, 2025

QF - Kawasaki Frontale (JPN) v Al Sadd SC (QAT): Facts & Figures

Jeddah: Kawasaki Frontale and Al Sadd SC will both be equally confident of their chances when they go head to head in the AFC Champions League Elite™ Finals Jeddah 2025 on Sunday.

Both teams comfortably advanced to the quarter-finals and will be eager to continue their adventure with victory at the Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium.

Koulibaly urges Al Hilal to remain sharp

Sat, 26 Apr, 2025

Koulibaly urges Al Hilal to remain sharp

Jeddah: Kalidou Koulibaly expects Al Hilal SFC to maintain their cutting edge in the AFC Champions League Elite™ Finals Jeddah 2025 after the side from Saudi Arabia produced a scintillating performance to defeat Gwangju FC 7-0 in their quarter-final on Friday.

Centre-back Koulibaly was - as were his teammates - flawless as the side from Korea Republic struggled to cope with Al Hilal's attacking strength with seven different players finding the back of the net.

Focused Al Hilal delight Jesus

Sat, 26 Apr, 2025

Focused Al Hilal delight Jesus

Jeddah: It was, by all accounts, a massive display of firepower but Jorge Jesus insisted that Al Hilal SFC’s 7-0 defeat of Gwangju FC was more than just a show of their awesome arsenal.

A 3-0 lead at the break had all but sealed victory for Al Hilal against their opponents from Korea Republic in the quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League Elite™ Finals Jeddah 2025 but the side from Saudi Arabia maintained their high intensity to hit Gwangju for another four, with seven different players finding the back of the net.

Lee: Gwangju’s journey has just begun

Sat, 26 Apr, 2025

Lee: Gwangju’s journey has just begun

Jeddah: Gwangju FC head coach Lee Jung-hyo maintained a positive outlook despite seeing his side dismantled by a rampant Al Hilal SFC in the quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League Elite™ Finals Jeddah 2025 on Friday.

Tournament debutants Gwangju had their backs against the wall from the first blow of the referee’s whistle at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium as they succumbed to a 7-0 defeat.