Al Gharafa lost 2-4 to Al Ahli of Saudi Arabia in a highly-important match in the eighth round of 2024-2025 season AFC Champions League Elite (West Zone) at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah on Monday.

Goals from Ivan Toney (21st minute), Roberto Firmino (34th minute), Galeno (44th minute) and Riyad Mahrez (59th minute, penalty) gave the Saudi Arabian side the win.

Al Gharafa got both their goals from the spot, with Joselu (sixth minute, penalty) and Yacine Brahimi (79th minute, penalty) finding the back of the net.

Al Ahli moved on to 22 points, whereas Al Gharafa remained on seven.

Considering the importance of the match, Al Gharafa went all out for the ‘kill’ right from the opening whistle, and the first real chance of the encounter fell to them in the second minute, with Aron Gunnarsson’s right-footed shot from outside the box being saved in the top left corner.

A few seconds later, The Cheetahs’ relentless pressure yielded the desired result, with Al Ahli’s Matteo Dams conceding a penalty for a handball. The resulting spot kick, which was taken after a lengthy VAR decision, was perfectly tucked in by Joselu in the sixth minute to give the visitors the lead.

Al Ahli, who had already qualified for the Round of 16, were in no mood for jokes, and they made their intentions known in the 21st minute when Toney, whose attempt a few seconds earlier was beautifully saved by goalkeeper Sergio Rico, hammered home a right-footed shot from very close range to restore parity for the Saudis.

Algerian international and former Manchester City star Mahrez missed an attempt at putting Al Ahli ahead in the 29th minute, but Firmino was spot on five minutes later as his right-footed shot from an assist by Roger Ibanez hits the bull's eye to make it 2-1 to the hosts.

Al Gharafa’s woes were further compounded in the 44th minute, with Galeno also registering his name on the scorers sheet as Al Ahli got their third of the night.

Al Ahli continued to gain the upper hand in the second half, while Al Gharafa were kept to doing most of the defending. With pressure building up, Al Gharafa’s defence once again caved in in the 57th minute with Jamal Hamed fouling a goal-bound Toney, and the referee did not hesitate to point to the spot, enabling Mahrez to make it 4-1 for his side in the 59th minute.

Al Gharafa cut one back from the deficit in the 80th minute with Brahimi scoring the penalty that resulted from a foul on him by Ibanez a minute earlier, but the goal could not change the fortune of the game as the match ended with Al Ahli’s two-goal lead.