Ruthless Al-Ahli Jeddah Make Statement in Four-Goal Rout of Al-Gharafa, Seize Control in AFC Champions League Group
Under the lights at Al Inma Bank Stadium, Al-Ahli Jeddah found their stride and their cutting edge, delivering a 4-0 thrashing to Al-Gharafa that reverberated well beyond the final whistle. This was the kind of powerhouse display their fans had craved since the start of the AFC Champions League campaign, a performance full of crisp passing and clinical finishing, and one that vaulted the Saudi giants into second place in their group with four crucial points from two matches.
For Al-Gharafa, it was a night of unraveling on foreign soil. The Qatari club arrived still smarting from back-to-back QSL Cup defeats, but any hopes of steadying the ship were swept away before halftime. Al-Ahli, who had left points on the table in their opening 2-2 draw against Al-Duhail, stormed out with a blend of star power and local flair—a blend that proved irresistible.
The early stages gave little indication of the coming deluge. Al-Gharafa, well-drilled and cautious, managed to keep Al-Ahli’s trio of attacking imports quiet for the opening half-hour. But in the 32nd minute, the deadlock broke, and the momentum never swung back. Enzo Millot, the French midfielder whose influence has grown with each appearance, darted into the box and met a fizzed cross from the right, steering a low finish past the outstretched arms of Al-Gharafa’s goalkeeper. The stadium roared, sense of relief blending with anticipation.
Six minutes later, the spectacle turned into a rout. Franck Kessié, Al-Ahli’s talismanic Ivorian midfielder, seized on a loose ball at the edge of the area, took one touch to steady himself, and hammered a shot low into the corner. The celebration barely subsided before Kessié struck again just three minutes later, this time ghosting into the penalty area to bundle in a clever cutback and send Al-Ahli three goals up before halftime. The visitors looked bewildered, caught between retreat and collapse.
The story of the first half was one of relentless pressure—waves of green and white jerseys flooding forward, orchestrated by the metronomic Kessié and the dynamic Millot, both of whom turned the middle of the park into their personal stage. Al-Gharafa offered little resistance, with their usually reliable midfield trio repeatedly carved open by crisp one-touch football.
Al-Gharafa’s opportunities were scarce. Their best moment came on the hour, when Joselu, fresh from his goal-scoring exploits in the previous Champions League outing against Al Shorta, rose to meet a corner at the far post only to see his header smothered by the alert Edouard Mendy. Aside from that, the Qatari side struggled to break Al-Ahli’s defensive block, looking a world away from the team that had found three goals away to Al-Rayyan just weeks earlier.
By the 76th minute, the contest had ceased to be a contest. Saleh Abu Al-Shamat, a product of Al-Ahli’s youth system, capped his team’s fluid attacking sequence with a deft finish from close range after a flowing move down the left. The goal was greeted by a chorus of applause from the home faithful—a reminder that this night belonged as much to local heroes as to their marquee signings.
It was a margin that flattered neither side; in truth, Al-Ahli could have scored more had it not been for a handful of smart stops from Al-Gharafa’s embattled keeper. Yet the scoreline told its own story—a tale of one team regaining its rhythm and another losing its nerve.
For Al-Ahli Jeddah, this emphatic victory ends a recent run of frustrating draws—three in their last five matches, often marked by bright starts and subdued finishes. The attack, so often reliant on Ivan Toney’s heroics in league play, showed new balance and verve, with Kessié’s double illustrating the midfield’s ability to share the scoring burden. Now sitting second in their group with a clear path to the knockout stages, Al-Ahli have reason to believe their continental aspirations could yet bear fruit.
Al-Gharafa, by contrast, must confront the growing reality of a campaign sliding off the rails. The back-to-back 0-3 and 0-1 defeats in the QSL Cup had already cast shadows over their form. Tonight’s loss, their third in five and second consecutive without scoring, leaves the Qatari side with mounting tactical questions and perhaps a crisis of belief. With two group stage matches gone, their Champions League fate now hangs by a thread.
There was no head-to-head history to draw upon for omens, only the pressure of the moment and the ambitions both clubs brought to the field. On this night, it was Al-Ahli who rose to the occasion—and Al-Gharafa who must quickly find answers, or risk seeing this continental adventure cut short.
As the group stage tightens, Al-Ahli’s rediscovered attacking verve may prove decisive in the weeks ahead. For Al-Gharafa, the road back is perilous. Each match from here will carry the urgency of a final, and the margin for error has vanished. Tonight, in Jeddah, that lesson was delivered in the most uncompromising fashion.