For a squad worth close to an estimated US$200 million, it’s bewildering how Al Ahli have almost flown under the radar in the AFC Champions League Elite; but it is in the shadow of Riyadh’s Al Hilal and Al Nassr that the Jeddah-based outfit have slid into the semi-finals.
Al Hilal, as four-times continental champions and the self-styled Kings of Asia, have always made a racket when they move through this competition. Win or lose, champs or chumps, Al Hilal and their legion of demanding, entitled fans make themselves impossible to ignore.
Amid the din from their noisy neighbours, Al Nassr are forever seeking ways to be heard above the tumult.
With a forward line boasting the freakishly ageless presence of Cristiano Ronaldo plus his rapacious accomplices Sadio Mane and Jhon Duran, the yellow side of Riyadh has made a concerted effort to shine brightly, garishly even, in a way that insists upon attention.
It is alongside this formidable pair that Al Ahli line up as the third of the three Saudi Pro League sides in the last four of the AFC Champions League Elite, bringing with them the best record of any team remaining in the competition.
For all the bluster coming from Al Hilal and Al Nassr, it is Al Ahli who are the only one of the remaining clubs in a semi-final line-up rounded out by Japan’s Kawasaki Frontale that are yet to lose a match.
Of course, Al Ahli’s tale is no underdog story. There can be little doubt Matthias Jaissle’s side possess plenty of star power of their own, but there is a subtlety that belies the fluorescent glare of Roberto Firmino’s eye-catching dental work.
It is perhaps best embodied by Riyad Mahrez, the former Leicester City and Manchester City winger who has consistently delivered match-winning performances throughout the various stages of the newly revamped competition.
It is no coincidence the winger is now the joint-top goal scorer in the competition, his calmly taken strike in the 3-0 win over Buriram United in the quarter-finals moving him on to nine goals, level with Al Hilal winger Salem Al-Dawsari and Gwangju FC’s Jasir Asani.
But there has been much more to Mahrez’s play than merely finding the net and the 34-year-old’s base line statistics, including the seven assists he has in addition to his goal tally, do not tell the entire story of his value to the team.
It was from Mahrez’s corner, for example, that Firmino netted Al Ahli’s second against the Thai side, but the Premier League winner received little credit for his involvement as Merih Demiral claimed the assist, rising to head the ball down before the Brazilian pounced.
Those seven assists for which he has received credit are five more than Al-Dawsari has achieved and six better than Asani. Unlike his rivals, Mahrez doesn’t just score goals, he has consistently been responsible for making the Al Ahli attack tick.
Mahrez struck twice in the 5-1 win over Iraqi side Al Shorta in the league phase and netted both goals in the 2-0 win over Al Rayyan from Qatar in the second leg of their Round of 16 clash. He had also been amongst the scorers in the first leg.
He may not possess the pace that made him a threat during his time in England, but Mahrez’s ability to punish teams as he cuts onto his left foot from the right side of the Al Ahli attack still instills fear in opposing defences.
Tellingly, when Jaissle was looking to manage his team’s energy and resources in the second half of the quarter-final win over Buriram United, Mahrez was not one of the five players he sought to replace.
“It’s clear that Riyad is among the players whose experience is really, really important for these matches,” said Jaissle. “Also, I can’t change the whole starting 11.
“We were smart with the substitutions, in the best possible way for the freshness that is needed against Hilal. We have one day less.”
Firmino, Ezgjan Alioski, Ivan Toney, Ali Majrashi and Ziyad Al Johani all made way but Mahrez stayed on, despite the stifling heat and Al Ahli having only two days’ rest compared to Al Hilal’s three between the quarter-finals and the semi-final.
Mahrez’s energy and intelligence, as well as his dead ball delivery, will be decisive factors at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium on Tuesday; if Al Hilal are to reach a sixth final in 11 years, Jorge Jesus will have to find a way to silence the influential Algerian.
Photos: X/ALAHLI_FC
Listen to TAG Extra LIVE from Jeddah after Al Ahli’s win over Buriram United
