Shabab Al Ahli Defeats Tractor 3-0 to Reach ACL Quarterfinals
In Jeddah’s thick evening heat, Tractor’s long wait for a game ended with a brutal reality check.
Back on the field for the first time since late February, the Iranian side were swept out of the Asian Champions League Elite on Tuesday, beaten 3-0 by a sharp, confident Shabab Al Ahli side from the United Arab Emirates in the round of 16.
Rust meets rhythm
Tractor arrived in Saudi Arabia carrying more than just tactical questions. The club had not played since the United States and Israel launched military strikes against Iran in late February, a layoff that left them short of rhythm on the biggest stage of their season.
Shabab Al Ahli wasted no time exposing that lack of edge.
Yuri Cesar struck first, setting the tone and puncturing any early resistance. From there, the Dubai club controlled the tempo, moving the ball with purpose while Tractor chased shadows and struggled to find cohesion.
The pressure kept building. It told again through a familiar name to Iranian fans, but in unfamiliar colors.
Saeid Ezatolahi, the Iran international now anchoring Shabab Al Ahli’s midfield, added the second. His goal carried an extra sting: an Iranian player driving the final wedge between Tractor and their continental hopes.
Brazilian forward Mateusao then finished the job, adding the third to seal a commanding win and confirm Shabab Al Ahli’s place among the last eight.
For Tractor, the campaign ends with questions about what might have been with a normal run-in and competitive match practice. For Shabab Al Ahli, it moves on to Thailand.
They will face Buriram United in Saturday’s quarterfinal, still in Jeddah, with the sense of a team growing into the tournament at exactly the right time.
Fabinho’s last-gasp penalty sends Al Ittihad through
If Shabab Al Ahli’s win felt assured well before the final whistle, the late game at the same venue took a very different path.
Al Ittihad and Al Wahda of the UAE dragged each other into extra time, locked in a tense, narrow contest that refused to open up. Chances were scarce. Nerves were not.
It took until the 120th minute for the deadlock to break.
Fabinho, the Brazilian midfielder with a history of thriving under pressure, stepped up from the spot and buried a penalty to hand Al Ittihad a 1-0 victory. One kick, one roar from the Saudi fans, and one more giant stride into the latter stages of the competition.
The win sets up a quarterfinal clash with Japan’s Machida Zelvia, another intriguing East-versus-West storyline to unfold on Saudi soil.
All knockout-stage ties are being staged in Jeddah, with the final set for April 25, turning the city into the temporary capital of Asian club football.
A bigger stage on the horizon
While the drama played out on the pitch, the Asian Football Confederation was busy reshaping the future of the competition itself.
Earlier on Tuesday, the AFC recommended expanding the Asian Champions League Elite from 24 to 32 clubs starting in the 2026-27 edition. The split between regions would remain even: 16 teams from the East, 16 from the West.
The change would not just be about adding numbers. It would rewrite the path to the knockout rounds.
Under the current format, the top eight teams from the league phase move straight into the round of 16. Under the proposed system, only the top six would be guaranteed a place in the last 16.
Those finishing seventh to 10th would not be done. Instead, they would drop into a newly created knockout stage playoff, fighting for a second chance to stay alive in the tournament.
“In a significant departure from previous formats, clubs that finish seventh to 10th will not be eliminated but will instead progress to a newly established knockout stage playoff,” the AFC said in a statement, underlining the shift toward a more layered, high-stakes structure.
The proposal still needs approval from the AFC Executive Committee, but the direction is clear: more teams, more jeopardy, more knockout football.
For now, the focus in Jeddah stays on the present bracket. Tractor are out, Shabab Al Ahli and Al Ittihad are through, and the quarterfinal picture is starting to sharpen.
By the time the new format arrives, clubs across Asia may be fighting just to get to nights like these.
