Shabab Al Ahli Beat Buriram United 3-2 After Extra Time to Reach AFC Champions League Elite Semi-Finals
JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia, April 19, 2026: Shabab Al Ahli booked their place in the AFC Champions League Elite semi-finals after a hard-fought 3-2 win over Buriram United in Jeddah on Saturday night.
The UAE club started well and took control early, but Buriram United showed great spirit and came back from two goals down. In the end, Shabab Al Ahli held their nerve and scored the winning goal in extra time to move into the last four.
Shabab Al Ahli will now face Japan’s FC Machida Zelvia in the semi-finals on Tuesday. The match was quiet at first, but things changed in the 13th minute. Igor Gomes rose high to meet a corner from Federico Cartabia. His header hit the post, then bounced off Peter Zulj and went into the net. That gave Shabab Al Ahli a 1-0 lead.
Buriram United tried to answer quickly. In the 20th minute, Kingsley Schindler got a good chance after a weak clearance, but his low shot went just wide. A few minutes later, Buriram goalkeeper Neil Etheridge made an important save. Yuri Cesar dribbled into space and fired a shot toward the bottom corner, but Etheridge reacted fast to stop it.
Buriram kept pushing and nearly equalized in the 32nd minute. Goran Causic headed the ball toward goal, but defender Kauan Santos cleared it away before it could cross the line. Shabab Al Ahli went into halftime with a narrow 1-0 lead.
The UAE side came out stronger in the second half. Cartabia sent one shot just over the bar, and Buriram defender Curtis Good made a fine challenge to stop Mateusao from scoring. Shabab Al Ahli got their second goal in the 49th minute. From another Cartabia corner, Renan Victor flicked the ball on and Saeid Ezatolahi headed home from close range to make it 2-0.
But the game changed in the 64th minute. Ezatolahi handled the ball inside the box while trying to stop a header from Supachai Chaided. The referee gave a penalty, and Guilherme Bissoli calmly scored to make it 2-1. That goal gave Buriram United new energy. Just six minutes later, Peter Zulj carried the ball forward and fired a neat shot into the bottom corner to level the score at 2-2.
Shabab Al Ahli had one more chance to win in normal time. Yuri Cesar made a strong run through the middle and passed to Mohammed Juma inside the box, but Etheridge was ready again and made the save. So the match went into extra time. Shabab Al Ahli did not wait long to find the winner. Just three minutes into extra time, Buriram failed to fully clear a set-piece. Bala headed the ball back into the box, and Renan Victor slipped behind the defense and scored from close range to make it 3-2.
Buriram’s hopes became even harder when Ko Myeong-seok was sent off with a red card for a last-man foul on Bala. The Thai side finished the game with 10 players. With this exciting win, Shabab Al Ahli move one step closer to AFC Champions League Elite glory, while Buriram United leave the tournament after a brave and battling performance.
