JEDDAH — Al Ahli came from behind to defeat Vissel Kobe 2-1 on Monday and book their place in the AFC Champions League Elite final.Second-half goals from Galeno and Ivan Toney completed the turnaround at King Abdullah Sports City after the Japanese side had taken a first-half lead.The defending champions remain on course to become the first club since Al Ittihad in 2005 to retain the continental crown.Al Ahli will face either FC Machida Zelvia or Shabab Al Ahli in Saturday’s final.The visitors started brightly and were rewarded in the 31st minute when Yoshinori Muto finished from close range after a clever set-piece move involving Yuya Osako.Al Ahli nearly responded before halftime when Rayan Hamed headed against the woodwork, while Toney’s close-range flick drifted narrowly wide.The hosts increased the pressure after the restart and thought they had equalized through Toney, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside.Vissel Kobe then missed a huge chance to double their lead when Daiju Sasaki struck the crossbar from inside the area.That miss proved costly in the 62nd minute when Galeno unleashed a trademark long-range strike beyond goalkeeper Daiya Maekawa to level the score.Eight minutes later, Al Ahli completed the comeback when Maekawa failed to deal with another Galeno delivery, allowing Toney to squeeze home through a crowded goalmouth.Matthias Jaissle’s side managed the closing stages confidently to secure a memorable win and move within one victory of back-to-back Asian titles.JEDDAH — Al Ahli came from behind to defeat Vissel Kobe 2-1 on Monday and book their place in the AFC Champions League Elite final.Second-half goals from Galeno and Ivan Toney completed the turnaround at King Abdullah Sports City after the Japanese side had taken a first-half lead.The defending champions remain on course to become the first club since Al Ittihad in 2005 to retain the continental crown.Al Ahli will face either FC Machida Zelvia or Shabab Al Ahli in Saturday’s final.The visitors started brightly and were rewarded in the 31st minute when Yoshinori Muto finished from close range after a clever set-piece move involving Yuya Osako.Al Ahli nearly responded before halftime when Rayan Hamed headed against the woodwork, while Toney’s close-range flick drifted narrowly wide.The hosts increased the pressure after the restart and thought they had equalized through Toney, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside.Vissel Kobe then missed a huge chance to double their lead when Daiju Sasaki struck the crossbar from inside the area.That miss proved costly in the 62nd minute when Galeno unleashed a trademark long-range strike beyond goalkeeper Daiya Maekawa to level the score.Eight minutes later, Al Ahli completed the comeback when Maekawa failed to deal with another Galeno delivery, allowing Toney to squeeze home through a crowded goalmouth.Matthias Jaissle’s side managed the closing stages confidently to secure a memorable win and move within one victory of back-to-back Asian titles.
