Roberto Firmino, Ivan Toney and Feras Albrikan scored the goals which sent Al Ahli through to the AFC Champions League Elite final on a wild night against their Saudi rivals Al Hilal. They were bayed on to success in the first semi-final by the vocal majority inside the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium. Even though there was nominally a 50-50 split of supporters in the last four of this new finals event, it stood to reason the Jeddah-based club’s fans made the most noise. The side travelling from Riyadh might boast the largest number of fans in Saudi Arabia as a whole, but this was home territory for the side in white and green. There were 50,613 in attendance, on a school night, and the noise was unrelenting. It was fiery from the off. Ezgjan Alioski, Ahli’s left-back, was booked within the first phase of play for kicking Malcom when the Brazilian was on the ground. Then their right-back, Ali Hasan Majrashi, was shown yellow in the sixth minute for fouling Salem Al Dawsari, <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/al-hilal/" target="_blank" rel="" title="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/al-hilal/">Hilal’s captain</a>, as he made to break up the wing. The cards were adding up but there was no caution about Ahli’s play. They repeatedly picked holes in the Hilal backline, and were ahead in the ninth minute. Roberto Firmino finished it, after Galeno, Ahli’s Brazilian winger, chased down a lost cause and turned the cross into his compatriot’s path. There was some spite to it. Galeno proceeded to stand in front of the Hilal fans and goad them, much to their ire. The Jeddah-based side doubled their lead through Toney. It was a theme of the night that the English striker’s goal was initially ruled out for offside. On this occasion, VAR overruled and the goal stood. Ahli had one foot in the final at that stage but, in the 42nd minute, Al Dawsari pulled one back, after Franck Kessie’s attempted interception only turned into a perfect through ball for the Hilal captain. It continued to simmer. Merih Demiral was booked for sneakily kicking a spare ball into play to stop a quick throw by Hilal just before half time. It prompted a melee, in which one member of Hilal’s backroom staff was sent off, and one from Ahli yellow carded. There was still time before the referee blew for the interval for Kalidou Koulibaly to be booked for taking out Toney with a brutal bodycheck. The felled striker was still on the ground receiving treatment when the referee decided the wise course of action was to blow for half time. There was no let up. In the 50th minute, Toney had the ball in the net for a second time, and again was immediately wagging his finger at a flag wielding linesman. This time, though, the decision was upheld. Five minutes later, he had his hat-trick of disallowed goals – albeit, the first one was overturned – when a near post finish from a Galeno cross was again chalked off for offside. Hilal were just about clinging on but were becoming increasingly erratic. Koulibaly was sent off for felling Roger Ibanez as the Ahli defender was on a rampaging run through the middle of the field. It was one-way traffic, but still Ahli could not kill the off. Firmino and Riyad Mahrez each hit the post in the same play. Shortly after, Galeno did the same. Hilal had long since lost their cool. Aleksandar Mitrovic raged at the ref, and was promptly booked. Al Dawsari talked his way straight into the book, too. Ahli even passed up the chance to settle it from the penalty spot. Mahrez won the kick – after a VAR review – when he was felled following a mazy dribble into the box. Crazily, the ever-reliable Toney was overlooked for penalty duties, and Kessie’s tame effort was saved by Yassine Bounou. Finally, in stoppage time, it was clinched when Feras, the substitute, pounced on a loose ball and struck the third past Bounou.
