RIYADH: The 2025-26 AFC Champions League Elite Round of 16 kicked off in thrilling fashion in Jeddah on Monday, as Al-Ahli and Al-Sadd secured their spots in the quarter-finals.
Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli booked their place in the final eight after a narrow 1-0 victory over Al-Duhail of Qatar. Meanwhile, in another Saudi-Qatari matchup, Al-Hilal and Al-Sadd played out an enthralling encounter that produced six goals before it was decided with a penalty shootout.
Al-Sadd entered the match full of confidence after it was confirmed, shortly before kick-off, that they had won the Qatari Stars League. Domestic rivals Al-Shamal’s failure to beat Qatar SC meant Al-Sadd were crowned champions with one game remaining.
This seemed to create a unique dynamic for Al-Hilal to contend with in a match in which it felt like danger was looming every time Al-Sadd were on the ball. Yet despite the Qatari side coming close on a couple of occasions, it was in fact Al-Hilal who opened the scoring.
In the 29th minute, a through ball from Sultan Mandash released Theo Hernandez down the left flank, who quickly cut ball back to Sergej Milinkovic-Savic. The Serbian, unfazed by the four defenders surrounding him, fired a powerful shot past Meshaal Barsham to open the scoring.
Al-Sadd responded within seven minutes, courtesy of Claudinho. Once the top scorer in the Brasileirao, the attacking midfielder operated excellently in the heart of the pitch for the Qatari side. A chipped ball caught Al-Hilal’s defense out of position, and after a poor Ali Lajami clearance, Romain Saiss capitalized by releasing Claudinho with a deft backheel and the Brazilian grabbed the equalizer.
The momentum appeared to have shifted in favor of Al-Sadd but Al-Hilal are, after all, the most successful club in the competition and were not going to go down without a fight.
After an underwhelming first half, Salem Al-Dawsari struck after the break to claim Al-Hilal’s second, in the 55th minute. Ruben Neves wriggled his way through the defense before finding the Saudi talisman in space inside the box.
Roberto Mancini, returning to Saudi Arabia for the first time since leaving his job as national team manager in October 2024, has evidently instilled fresh belief into the Qatari champions, however.
Just three minutes later, Claudinho delivered a line-breaking pass toward Rafa Mujica, who tested Yassine Bounou with a powerful shot that beat the Moroccan keeper and gave Al-Sadd their second equalizer of the night.
Al-Hilal head coach Simone Inzaghi introduced Marcos Leonardo for Mandash minutes later, a decision that immediately paid dividends. Two minutes later, Karim Benzema found his Brazilian strike partner inside the box, after Barsham failed to deal with a corner, and Al-Hilal took the lead for a third time.
Once again, however, it did not last. A quick throw-in in the 70th minute caught Al-Hilal off-guard, and Roberto Firmino heading home an Agustin Soria cross after a lapse in Al-Hilal’s concentration following their goal.
Al-Sadd continued to pile on the pressure, racking up 22 goal attempts in the regulation 90 minutes compared with Al-Hilal’s eight, but Inzaghi’s side managed to hold on and take the match to extra time.
The goals dried up at that point but the attacking football continued. By the end of the 120 minutes, 43 shots were recorded throughout the match.
And so to penalties. Firmino stepped up first in the shoot-out, sending Bounou the wrong way only to see his effort hit the post. Ruben Neves then delivered a similar strike, but this one found the net.
Soria was next and his attempt looked destined to suffer the same fate as Firmino’s, only for the ball to clip the post and bounce in. Leonardo answered with a powerful strike to restore Al-Hilal’s advantage.
Claudinho kept his side alive with a confident penalty, before Benzema suffered a rare misstep as his effort sailed over the crossbar. Mujica then put Al-Sadd ahead, before Saimon Bouabre saw his penalty saved by Barsham.
Akram Afif stepped up for a potentially decisive kick, and the man who so often delivers did so once again, calmly sending Bounou the wrong way to seal a 4-2 shootout victory for Al-Sadd.
Meanwhile, defending champions Al-Ahli struggled to replicate last season’s form against Al-Duhail. Despite being the second-highest scoring team in the competition this season, the Jeddah side looked devoid of ideas against Djamel Belmadi’s men.
A tight schedule, combined with a domestic title charge that remains alive, has evidently taken its toll on Matthias Jaissle’s men, with the likes of Galeno, Ivan Toney and Riyad Mahrez unable to find the net despite several chances.
Al-Duhail had goalkeeper Salah Zakaria to thank for that. The Qatari international produced five stellar saves on the night, including one from the penalty spot.
While Al-Ahli enjoyed the lion’s share of possession, Al-Duhail proved they were no pushovers. Benjamin Bourigeaud struck the post from a free-kick in the 23rd minute, delivering a scare for the majority-Al-Ahli crowd.
The biggest fright, however, came in stoppage time of regular play, when Adil Boulbina drove toward goal and unleashed a long shot that rattled the crossbar, coming within inches of eliminating Al-Ahli.
The match moved into extra time, during which Al-Ahli managed to win a penalty at the end of the first period. Toney stepped up but the usually reliable Englishman saw his effort saved by Zakaria, before his follow-up effort just skimmed the wrong side of the net.
It looked as though the match was heading for penalties. But then Al-Ahli won a free-kick just outside the penalty area in the 117th minute. Mahrez stepped up, the fans no doubt recalling his game-winning set piece for Algeria against Nigeria at 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.
He placed the shot perfectly, sending the crowd into raptures and securing Al-Ahli a place in the quarter-finals.
“We are dealing with several injuries in the squad, and it was difficult to play the match in their absence,” Jaissle said. “Ultimately, the team showed strong character and managed to secure the victory. I’m proud of the players.”
The first half of the quarter-final lineup is now set: Al-Sadd will take on Vissel Kobe of Japan at Al-Inma Stadium on April 16, while Al-Ahli face Johor Darul Ta’zim of Malaysia at the same venue the following day.
In the remaining Round-of-16 games on Tuesday, Tractor of Iran take on the UAE’s Shabab Al-Ahli at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Sports City at 5:45 p.m., and then Al-Ittihad and Emirati side Al-Wahda will go head-to-head at Al-Inma Stadium at 9 p.m.
