Al Ahli Saudi have become the champions of Asia for the first time after they outclassed Kawasaki Frontale at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah.
They became the third side from Saudi to claim the mantle of the continent’s best side, after winning the AFC Champions League Elite final 2-0 in the port city.
They had been the best side throughout the campaign, and especially so once the new, centralised finals event decamped to their home patch.
They followed wins over Buriram United in Saturday’s quarter-final, and against Saudi rivals Al Hilal in Wednesday’s semi-final, with a dominant display against the side from Japan.
To say it was well received, given that the trophy they have craved for so long was finally delivered in their home stadium, understates it.
The official attendance was given as 58,281, but it felt certain there were far more inside “The Jewel”, as the stadium is affectionately known.
The gates were shut two hours before the game as a number of ticketless fans were attempting to enter. When they were later opened with a beefed-up security presence, thousands rushed the gates.
It made for an extraordinary atmosphere, even by this city’s standards. The fans of Jeddah’s two clubs, Ahli and Al Ittihad – who, along with Hilal, are the other Saudi side to have won this title – are known for being the most raucous in the Gulf region.
If the noise during Ahli’s semi-final win was loud, it was amplified massively for the final.
Realistically, the resistance the small group of travelling fans were putting up was largely futile. The sound from the home fans was deafening.
But the 300 or so away fans still did their best to be heard. They even had a smart little sign of their own which they unveiled as a gigantic banner was unfurled across three tiers in the home end, and a massive tifo ran all the way along the stands to the side.
On it was a picture of their smiling coach, Shigetoshi Hasebe, accompanied by the message: “Hasebe Frontale”.
Hasebe has a tough act to live up to. His predecessor won four titles in five seasons for Kawasaki but the incumbent has won many admirers – not just among his own club’s fan base – during their run to this final.
Talking of high approval ratings, the biggest roars at the start were reserved for Ali Majrashi, the Ahli right back.
In the 15th minute, he gave Marcinho, the Kawasaki left-winger, a mouthful after he snubbed out an attack. The Brazilian looked nonplussed – he had done nothing wrong – but Majrashi had been amped since way before the start.
His name received the largest roar when the teams were read out. And as the team lined up, arms linked, on the 18-yard line in front of the Ahli ultras, he belted out the team song with the fans.
The home fans hardly needed to be whipped into any more of a fervour. Amid the bedlam, the Ahli players took some time to settled.
Despite that, they shaded the early exchanges, but it took them till the 35th minute to break to deadlock. And it took a special strike to do it.
Galeno provided the magic, curving a bouncing ball into the very top right corner of the goal. Louis Yamaguchi, the Kawasaki goalkeeper, had no chance.
The Saudi outfit took control of the game seven minutes later when Franck Kessie doubled the advantage, heading in from close range after great endeavour from Roberto Firmino on the right-hand side.
Just after the hour mark, Riyad Mahrez had the chance to put the tie to bed, when a fast break up the Ahli left ended with the ball trickling into his path on the right side of the box.
It fell on his less assured right foot, though, and the former Manchester City winger blazed wide.
Kawasaki battled on, but it was in vain. Bayed on by such vociferous support, the Ahli players were never going to let them down.
FIGHT INFO
Men’s 60kg Round 1:
Ahmad Shuja Jamal (AFG) beat Krisada Takhiankliang (THA) - points
Hyan Aljmyah (SYR) beat Akram Alyminee (YEM) - retired Round 1
Ibrahim Bilal (UAE) beat Bhanu Pratap Pandit (IND) - TKO Round 1
Men’s 71kg Round 1:
Seyed Kaveh Soleyman (IRI) beat Abedel Rahman (JOR) - RSC round 3.
Amine Al Moatassime (UAE) walk over Ritiz Puri (NEP)
The specs
Engine: 8.0-litre, quad-turbo 16-cylinder
Transmission: 7-speed auto
0-100kmh 2.3 seconds
0-200kmh 5.5 seconds
0-300kmh 11.6 seconds
Power: 1500hp
Torque: 1600Nm
Price: Dh13,400,000
On sale: now
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
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How to volunteer
The UAE volunteers campaign can be reached at www.volunteers.ae , or by calling 800-VOLAE (80086523), or emailing info@volunteers.ae.
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Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
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From Europe to the Middle East, economic success brings wealth - and lifestyle diseases
A rise in obesity figures and the need for more public spending is a familiar trend in the developing world as western lifestyles are adopted.
One in five deaths around the world is now caused by bad diet, with obesity the fastest growing global risk. A high body mass index is also the top cause of metabolic diseases relating to death and disability in Kuwait, Qatar and Oman – and second on the list in Bahrain.
In Britain, heart disease, lung cancer and Alzheimer’s remain among the leading causes of death, and people there are spending more time suffering from health problems.
The UK is expected to spend $421.4 billion on healthcare by 2040, up from $239.3 billion in 2014.
And development assistance for health is talking about the financial aid given to governments to support social, environmental development of developing countries.
Cases of coronavirus in the GCC as of March 15
Saudi Arabia – 103 infected, 0 dead, 1 recovered
UAE – 86 infected, 0 dead, 23 recovered
Bahrain – 210 infected, 0 dead, 44 recovered
Kuwait – 104 infected, 0 dead, 5 recovered
Qatar – 337 infected, 0 dead, 4 recovered
Oman – 19 infected, 0 dead, 9 recovered
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
Countdown to Zero exhibition will show how disease can be beaten
Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, an international multimedia exhibition created by the American Museum of National History in collaboration with The Carter Center, will open in Abu Dhabi a month before Reaching the Last Mile.
Opening on October 15 and running until November 15, the free exhibition opens at The Galleria mall on Al Maryah Island, and has already been seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
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