JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ahli suffered a rare setback on home soil, falling 1-0 to Sharjah FC in the Asian Champions League Elite on Monday in Jeddah. The defending champions, who had gone unbeaten in the competition since April 2021, were undone by an 81st-minute winner from Ousmane Camara.
Head coach Matthias Jaissle opted for heavy rotation, leaving key players Edouard Mendy, Franck Kessie and Ivan Toney on the bench. The hosts struggled to find rhythm, and Sharjah capitalised late when Luanzinho slipped a precise pass through for Camara, who finished clinically to secure the upset.
The defeat marks Al-Ahli’s first loss of this season’s western league phase and drops them to third in the 12-team standings after five matches, two points behind leaders Al-Hilal, who face Al-Shorta on Tuesday.
With the top eight sides progressing to March’s knockout rounds — ahead of a centralised quarter-finals, semi-finals and final in Saudi Arabia in April — Al-Ahli still remain well-placed. But Monday’s result serves as a reminder that even champions cannot afford complacency.
