Al Ittihad & Shabab Al Ahli survives

Shabab Al Ahli showed no mercy to Tractor

Shabab Al Ahli took a decisive step toward the semifinals of the AFC Champions League Elite. On Tuesday, they routed Iran’s Tractor FC 3-0 and advanced to the quarterfinals.

The goals were scored by Brazilian Yuri Cesar, Iranian international Saeid Ezatolahi, and Brazilian forward Mateusao. The match was played on neutral ground as part of the reorganization of the knockout stage following previous postponements.

Since my time here last year, my idea has been to create a winning mentality, a culture of winning, looking mainly to be the protagonist in the match and to be in these Finals. Paulo Sousa, Shabab Al Ahli. the-afc.com

With this victory, Shabab Al Ahli will face Thailand’s Buriram United on Saturday in the next round. The quarterfinal match will also be played in Jeddah, where all knockout matches will be held until the final on April 25.

Al Ittihad struggles but advances

Al Ittihad secured its spot in the AFC Champions League Elite quarterfinals with a dramatic 1-0 victory over Al Wahda. The match was decided in extra time when Brazilian Fabinho converted a penalty kick in the 120th minute.

This was a very difficult and balanced game between the two teams, said Al Ittihad tactician Conceicao. We created chances and we were more dangerous up front but they were defensively resolute. the-afc.com

After a tight, scoreless 90 minutes, the Saudi side managed to assert its dominance in the final minutes. The victory qualifies Al Ittihad to face Machida Zelvia of Japan in the next round, also in Jeddah.

Cover image created with Gemini AI.

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