Vissel Kobe suffered heartbreak in the AFC Champions League Elite 2025/26 semi-finals on Monday night (Tuesday morning, Japan time), as the MEIJI YASUDA J1 100 YEAR VISION LEAGUE side went down 2-1 to reigning champions Al Ahli Saudi FC.
Al Ahli were the first side to threaten in the 26th minute at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium, when Daiya Maekawa was forced into a double save from Franck Kessie and Riyad Mahrez.
However, Kobe then took the lead from a well-worked set-piece routine five minutes later.
Katsuya Nagato floated a free-kick in behind from deep, and after Yuya Osako beat the offside trap and nodded the ball across goal Yoshinori Muto was on hand to calmly convert.
Daiju Sasaki then had a chance to double Kobe’s lead in the 43rd minute, but could only send his shot straight at goalkeeper Edouard Mendy after Maekawa’s goal-kick had traveled all the way in behind the Al Ahli defence.
There were a couple of scares for Kobe just before half-time when Rayan Hamed headed against the post in the first minute of stoppage time and Ivan Toney flicked just wide a minute later, but the teams went in at the break with the score still 1-0.
Toney thought he had made it 1-1 five minutes after the restart, but after holding off Tetsushi Yamakawa and slotting past Maeekawa the goal was ruled out for offside.
Sasaki went agonisingly close to extending Kobe’s lead in the 54th minute, this time firing against the crossbar from just inside the area.
Al Ahli then pulled level with a phenomenal goal eight minutes later, as Galeno fired in an absolute bullet from almost 30 yards out.
Toney followed up with the decisive blow for Al Ahli in the 70th minute, tucking in via a deflection off Nagato after Maekawa had palmed a cross to him at the back post.
Mahrez thought he had added a third with a crisp finish in the 75th minute, but this, too, was chalked off for offside.
Even so, Kobe were unable to find a way back into the match, with their journey ending at the semi-final stage.
