Al Ahli of Saudi Arabia has claimed the title of the strongest team in Asia. After three attempts, they achieved their first-ever dominance in Asia in the club's history.

On the 4th (Korea time), Al Ahli defeated Kawasaki Frontale 2-0 in the final of the 2024-2025 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League Elite (ACLE) held at King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

This means that Al Ahli has successfully overcome the pain of losing to Daewoo Royals (now Busan IPark) in 1986 and Ulsan Hyundai (now Ulsan HD) in 2012, winning the trophy on the third final stage they reached. The team has made history in their home ground. Thanks to this, West Asia, led by 'oil money', has secured the championship for the second consecutive time. Last season, Park Yong-woo's Al Ain won the title.

Al Ahli has also achieved an 'undefeated championship.' They passed the league stage with 7 wins and 1 draw, defeating Al Rayyan (Qatar) in the Round of 16. They then beat Buriram United (Thailand) in the quarter-finals and triumphed over Al Hilal (Saudi) 3-1 in a domestic rivalry match in the semi-finals, where they won 7-0. Finally, they crowned themselves by overpowering Kawasaki at the highest stage.

On the other hand, Kawasaki could not overcome the Saudi sandstorm. They became the only foreign team to eliminate Saudi teams from this tournament by defeating Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr in the semi-finals. While they remained as the last pride of East Asia, they could not showcase their strength in the final.

On this day, Al Ahli deployed a 4-2-3-1 formation. They had a star-studded lineup that included Roberto Firmino, a former Liverpool legend, England international Ivan Toney, and Riyad Mahrez, who played at Manchester City. In addition, stars like Franck Kessie, Roger Ibanez, Merih Demiral, and Eduardo Mendy, who made names in Europe, also lined up.

Kawasaki faced off with a 4-4-2 formation. Their starting lineup included Eri Sugawara, Wakizaka Yasu, Marchinho, Kawahara So, Yamamoto Yuki, Ienaga Akihiro, Miura Sota, Maruyama Yuichi, Takai Kota, and Sasaki Asahi.

In the early stages of the match, the game remained unexpectedly tight. In the 5th minute, Toney threatened Kawasaki's goal with a dangerous shot, but Kawasaki managed to hold up well with organized movements. In the 11th minute, Marchinho's explosive breakthrough led to a shot that narrowly missed the goal.

However, Al Ahli was indeed powerful. In the 35th minute, they immediately punished Kawasaki for a mistake that led to the opening goal. The Kawasaki defense lost the ball while trying to press aggressively, and in the ensuing attack, Galenu scored with a fantastic curled shot.

Al Ahli scored an additional goal. In the 41st minute, Firmino broke to the right side of the box and crossed the ball to the goal. Kessie finished with a header, making it 2-0. Kawasaki's injury to a player at that moment contributed to the conceded goal.

There was no turnaround in the second half. Al Ahli managed to contain Kawasaki's counterattacks without facing major dangers. Kawasaki pushed aggressively for opportunities, but in the 31st minute, Ito's left-footed shot went wide of the goal. Ultimately, Al Ahli lifted the championship trophy without conceding a goal.

Along with the victory, Al Ahli swept the individual awards. Firmino, who contributed two assists in the final, was awarded the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the tournament with 6 goals and 7 assists in 12 matches. Goalkeeper Mendy was honored as the best goalkeeper. Kawasaki received the Fair Play Award as runners-up, and the tournament's top scorer was Salem Al-Dosari of Al Hilal, who recorded a total of 10 goals.

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