Saudi Dynamo Destroys Al-Gharafa in Asia’s Elite
20 October 2025
A Dominant Al-Ahli
Al Ahli Jeddah crushed Al-Gharafa 4-0 on Monday at King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, during the third round of the West Group in the AFC Champions League Elite.
Enzo Milot opened the scoring in the 32nd minute, Frank Kise added a second in the 38th, and then completed his personal brace with the third in the 41st.
In the second half, Saleh Abu Shamat capped the scoring with a fourth goal in the 76th minute as the home side stretched their lead.
The hosts were without defender Roger Ibanez and winger Wenderson Galeno due to readiness concerns.
Al-Ahli lined up with goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, Ali Majrashi, Merih Demiral, Ryan Hamid, Dams, Frank Kise, Enzo Milot, Atanga, Goncalves, Ivan Toni and Riyad Mahrez. Al-Gharafa’s starting XI featured goalkeeper Khalifa Ndiaye, Ayoub Mohammed, Hyun Soo, Sido Sanu, Seifeddine Fadlallah, Aron Jonarson, Diaz, Ahmed Al-Janhy, Ferjani Sassi, Yacine Brahimi and Joselu.
With this win, Al-Ahli sit atop the West Group with 7 points, following a 4-2 victory over Nasaf, a 2-2 draw with Al-Duhail in Doha, and today’s triumph.
Al-Gharafa drop to eighth with 3 points, having beaten Al-Shorta 2-0 but lost to Shahrjah and Al-Ahli.
As a reminder, the top eight teams in the West advance to the Round of 16, with four of them progressing to the quarterfinals to meet teams from the East.
A Quiet Second Half
The match started calmly before both sides warmed to the tempo; Ahli gradually controlled proceedings and extended their lead in the second period, with the fourth goal arriving in the 76th minute.
Al-Gharafa pressed in patches but failed to mount a meaningful comeback as Ahli’s changes refreshed the team and preserved the shutout.
Final whistle: Al-Ahli 4-0 Al-Gharafa; the win keeps Ahli ahead of the pack as they continue their strong Asian form, having historically faced the Qatari clubs with mixed results.
In the closing records, Ahli have enjoyed a historical edge in this fixture, boasting more wins than losses against Al-Gharafa in Asian competition.
Punchline 1: If football were a math test, Al-Ahli just proved that four goals minus zero is a tidy little equation for victory.
Punchline 2: Al-Gharafa’s defense clearly hit the snooze button—when the alarm rang, Ahli had already filed the paperwork for the four-zip win.
