AFC Champions League Elite: Shabab Al Ahli Beat Al Ittihad 1-0 in Jeddah

JEDDAH: UAE club Shabab Al Ahli earned their first win in the AFC Champions League Elite 2025/26 after defeating Saudi Arabia’s Al Ittihad 1-0 on Tuesday night at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium.

The only goal of the game came in the first half when Saeid Ezatolahi scored with a powerful header. With this win, coach Paulo Sousa’s team now has four points after drawing 1-1 with Tractor FC in their opening match. On the other hand, Al Ittihad suffered their second straight defeat, having already lost 2-1 to Al Wahda FC earlier in the tournament.

The match stayed exciting until the very end. Shabab Al Ahli’s goalkeeper Hamad Al Meqbaali was almost punished when he mishandled a shot from Al Ittihad’s substitute Ahmed Al Ghamdi, but the ball hit the post and went out. Moments later, Shabab Al Ahli’s Rajkovic made a brilliant save to stop Yahya Al Ghassani from scoring.

Looking ahead, Shabab Al Ahli will play their next match at home against PFC Nasaf on October 21. Al Ittihad will try to bounce back when they face Iraq’s Al Shorta away.