ACL Elite quarter-finals: Ronaldo helps Al Nassr through as Al Hilal hits seven

The battle to win the inaugural edition of the newly rebranded AFC Champions League Elite continued with the quarter-finals this weekend, with three Saudi clubs still in contention for Asia’s most prestigious club trophy. Al Hilal, Al Nassr and Al Ahli have been among the favorites to lift the continental title from the start, and have seen off competition from clubs in Qatar, UAE, Japan and South Korea to reach the latter stages of the tournament.

The new-look ‘finals’ stage got underway in Jeddah on Friday, with the semi-finals and final also taking place in Saudi Arabia this week, ending on May 4. It was the clubs from West Asia that dominated – with Al Nassr, Al Hilal and Al Ahli all making it through to the semi-finals; the latter two sides will now meet in the first semi-final on Tuesday, while Cristiano Ronaldo and his team-mates will face Japan’s Kawasaki Frontale on Wednesday.

Here, Al Arabiya English rounds up the biggest moments from the AFC Champions League Elite quarter-finals.

Ronaldo and Duran send Al Nassr through

Al Nassr remains in the hunt for a first ever AFC Champions League triumph after captain Cristiano Ronaldo and record signing Jhon Duran helped Stefano Pioli’s side to a comfortable 4-1 win over Yokohama F. Marinos. The Japanese team was a losing finalist last season but this time around, Al Nassr swept Yokohama aside with ease in Jeddah. A stunning first-half display saw Al Nassr spring into a three-goal lead before the interval – and the Riyadh club professionally closed the game out – a task made easier after Yokohama was reduced to 10 men in the second half.

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Ronaldo and Duran both scored in the last-16 victory over Esteghlal and repeated the trick in Saturday’s quarter-final. Al Nassr’s opener had a touch of good fortune as Sadio Mane’s cross was sliced awkwardly against his own post by Yokohama center-back Thomas Deng. The ball rebounded into the path of a grateful Duran, who struck the ball into an empty net for his third ACL Elite goal since arriving from Aston Villa in January.

Mane doubled the lead himself four minutes later, picking up Otavio’s pass before seamlessly slotting the ball past Park Il-gyu. The Yokohama goalkeeper’s goal was breached again soon after as Ronaldo, one of several stars left in the competition who could become the first player to win both the UEFA and AFC Champions Leagues, reacted quickest as Park parried Marcelo Brozovic’s shot into his path. The Portuguese No. 7 volleyed home his eighth ACL Elite goal of the season and is now just one goal off top spot in the race for the Asian Golden Boot.

Al Nassr moved completely out of sight just four minutes after half-time as Yokohama goalkeeper Park was once again punished for not getting the ball out safely when making a save. This time it was Duran again who finished from inside the penalty box to send the Al Nassr fans wild. Kota Watanabe managed to score a consolation goal for Yokohama but when the Japanese midfielder was then sent off it was about damage limitation for his team. Al Nassr maintained its three-goal cushion to book a semi-final with another Japanese outfit, Kawasaki Frontale.

Magnificent seven for Al Hilal

Al Hilal cruised into the ACL Elite semi-finals with a dazzling 7-0 win over Gwangju, sending a powerful warning to the other remaining clubs in the competition. Seven different players – including Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Marcos Leonardo, and Salem al-Dawsari – found the net in a performance that left no doubt about Al Hilal’s ambition to lift a fifth continental title. While domestic form has wavered, Jorge Jesus’ side remains a force on the Asian stage, overwhelming its South Korean opponent in front of a lively crowd in Jeddah.

Among the standout performers was Aleksandar Mitrovic, who showed signs of returning to top form after a hamstring layoff earlier this year. The Serbian striker was a constant menace, scoring one goal and setting up two more, helping to tear Gwangju apart with his movement and physicality. As Al Hilal’s attack clicked into gear around him, Mitrovic’s sharpness will be key to its hopes of finishing the job and winning a first Asian trophy for coach Jesus.

For Gwangju, a historic maiden campaign ended in brutal fashion. Having defied expectations to reach the last eight, Lee Jung-hyo’s team ran into a ruthless Al Hilal side that punished every mistake. An early missed chance to equalize proved costly before the goals rained in. Meanwhile, Salem al-Dawsari continued his outstanding form, drawing level with Gwangju’s Jasir Asani in the race for the tournament’s Golden Boot, and also moving into fourth place on the list of the AFC Champions League’s all-time leading scorers.

Al Ahli breezes past Buriram

Ahead of its semi-final against Thailand’s Buriram United, Al Ahli coach Matthias Jaissle outlined his belief that his team has what it takes to lift its first AFC Champions League title. In front of a home crowd in Jeddah, Al Ahli’s players delivered a ruthless dismantling of its opponent to support their manager’s words – emerging as the 3-0 victor after a trio of first-half goals. Al Ahli’s victory means there will be an all-Saudi showdown with Al Hilal in Tuesday’s semi-final.

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The three strikes on Saturday all came from star players who have helped transform Al Ahli from newly-promoted Saudi Pro League side to continental contenders in the space of 18 months. The club’s leading light in that time has unquestionably been Riyad Mahrez and the Algerian, a UEFA Champions League winner with Manchester City in 2023, took just four minutes to put Al Ahli ahead against Buriram. Fed by captain Roberto Firmino on the right-side of the penalty area, Mahrez fired a low shot past goalkeeper Neil Ehteridge with his weaker right foot. It was the ninth goal of a prolific campaign for Mahrez, who is now level with Al Hilal captain al-Dawsari at the top of the competition’s scoring charts.

Two minutes later, Al Ahli doubled its lead. Center-back Roger Ibañez showed exceptional vision to play an incisive through-ball to Galeno, who calmly placed the ball through goalkeeper Etheridge’s legs to leave the sea of green and white fans bouncing. Galeno has injected new life into the Al Ahli attack since joining from FC Porto in January and it was the Brazilian winger’s third goal in five ACL Elite games.

Al Ahli put the game to bed before half-time as Mahrez’s corner was met with a towering header from Merih Demiral; the Turkish defender’s effort on goal would have crept wide but captain Firmino stole in at the back post to tap in from a yard out for his fifth ACL Elite strike of the season – having also netted against Al Gharafa, Al Sadd and Al Shorta (twice) in the group stage. After doing the hard yards in the first half, Al Ahli saw out the game – despite a late flurry of attempts from Buriram – to make it into the last four.

Kawasaki denies Al Sadd in extra time

Qatar’s Al Sadd had been hoping to complete a quartet of West Asian clubs in the semi-final line-up but despite twice coming from behind, it lost a thrilling contest 3-2 to Japanese side Kawasaki Frontale after extra time. The 98th-minute goal from Japan international midfielder Yasuto Wakizaka proved the difference for Kawasaki and ensured there will be one East Asian side still fighting it out for ACL Elite glory.

Kawasaki was on the front foot from the start, going ahead after four minutes thanks to Brazilian forward Erison’s sweeping finish. But Al Sadd hit back immediately as the reigning AFC Asian Player of the Year Akram Afif found defender Paulo Otavio, who somehow found the roof of the net with a left-foot shot from a tight angle. Marcinho restored the lead of Shigetoshi Hasebe’s side – completing a frenetic start to the game with a deft finish.

Al Sadd piled on the pressure in the second-half – dominating in terms of possession and shots on goal. The Qatari team was rewarded for its persistence in the 71st minute as two players dummied Giovani’s pass across the penalty area, leaving the ball for Claudinho to rifle home a shot. Al Sadd captain Afif was twice denied in the second half by excellent saves from Kawasaki goalkeeper Louis Yamaguchi, whose team then snatched the crucial winner through Wakizaka in extra-time.

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