Kawasaki Frontale pulled off a stunning 3-2 victory over Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr in the AFC Champions League Elite semi-finals, booking their place in Saturday’s final against Al-Ahli, MySportDab Reports.
In a thrilling encounter in Jeddah, Tatsuya Ito opened the scoring for the Japanese side, before former Liverpool star Sadio Mane drew Al-Nassr level.
However, Kawasaki regained control with goals from Yuto Ozeki and veteran Akihiro Ienaga, making it 3-1. A late strike from Ayman Yahya set up a nervy finish, but Kawasaki held firm to seal a historic win.
The result sees Kawasaki become just the fifth Japanese club to reach the final of the competition, joining Urawa Red Diamonds, Gamba Osaka, Kashima Antlers, and Yokohama Marinos. It also marks the third consecutive season a Japanese team has reached the final.
For Ito, scoring against a side packed with global stars felt surreal. “Al-Nassr have Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mane and such big names. At some moments it was difficult to play against them,” he said. “Before we went on the pitch, they were next to me—it felt like a video game!”
Al-Nassr’s hopes of ending their season with silverware now look slim, as they trail Saudi Pro League leaders Al-Ittihad by eight points with only five games remaining. Ronaldo, still searching for a major title since his 2023 move to Saudi Arabia, posted on X: “Sometimes the dream has to wait… I’m proud of this team and everything we gave on the pitch.”
Al-Nassr coach Stefano Pioli blamed his side’s defeat on individual errors. “We made a lot of mistakes and weren’t disciplined,” he admitted. “We trained for this match, but we didn’t apply the tactics properly. This is the reality—it’s difficult for everybody.”
