Al-Ahli booked a place in the last four of the AFC Champions League Elite on Friday, beating Malaysia’s Johor Darul Tazim 2-1 in Jeddah, and will face Vissel Kobe of Japan on Monday in the semifinal. Ali Majrashi put Johor ahead with an own goal after 19 minutes and was sent off soon after, but Franck Kessie levelled just before the break and Galeno scored the winner nine minutes after the restart.
Matias Jaissle said Al-Ahli made it through a tight and tough match, adding that it was never easy after the red card, though his players showed strong mentality and discipline and were helped by the fans. Al-Ahli are the only Saudi Arabian team left in the last four, and they are trying to return to the final in the knockout stage being played in Jeddah.
That pressure is the backdrop to a semifinal that brings together the defending champion from last May and a Vissel Kobe side that arrived with a different route. Kobe beat Qatar’s Al-Sadd in a penalty shootout after a 3-3 draw, keeping their campaign alive after a night in which the Japanese side had to be clinical when chances were scarce.
Go Kuroda said his team knew it would not have many opportunities and made the most of them while keeping a clean sheet. He said football always produces a winner and a loser, added that this time Kobe won, and said he thought they were lucky on the day. The other semifinal in the competition will see Machida Zelvia meet Shabab Al-Ahli after Machida beat Al-Ittihad 1-0 on Tete Yengi’s 31st-minute goal and Shabab Al-Ahli won 3-2 against Buriram United on Saturday.
For Al-Ahli, Monday is about more than another match in Jeddah. The club lifted the trophy for the first time last May, and another home-backed run to the final would underline how quickly the Saudi side have turned themselves into the standard-bearer still standing in the tournament.
