Al-Ahli’s title defence in the AFC Champions League Elite began like a nightmare but ended like a blockbuster thriller on a warm Jeddah night.

For 45 frustrating minutes, the reigning champions looked nothing like holders. Nasaf Qarshi’s Khusayin Norchaev struck twice before the break—first punishing Merih Demiral’s misplaced pass, then racing through to beat Edouard Mendy with icy precision.

Two goals down and staring at defeat, Al-Ahli charged out for the second half with fire in their boots. In the 65th minute, fortune flickered their way when Nasaf goalkeeper Abduvohid Nematov misjudged a long ball. Millot pounced, coolly sliding into an empty net. Just four minutes later, the Frenchman was at it again, stabbing home amid a chaotic scramble to level the score.

The roar inside King Abdullah Sports City grew deafening. Deep into stoppage time, Riyad Mahrez delivered the moment of magic the crowd craved—cutting in from the right and drilling a low shot inside the far post. The stadium erupted, but Al-Ahli weren’t done. Mohammed Sulaiman added a fourth in the dying seconds to seal a 4–2 comeback worthy of champions.

While green shirts celebrated, their Jeddah neighbours endured heartbreak in Abu Dhabi. Al-Ittihad briefly led when Steven Bergwijn unleashed a thunderbolt from distance, but a red card for Muhannad Al-Shanqiti tilted the night. Caio Canedo equalised after the hour, and in the 98th minute Lucas Pimenta smashed home a rebound to hand Al-Wahda a dramatic 2–1 win.

For Al-Ahli, it was a reminder of their pedigree and Riyad Mahrez’s star power. For Al-Ittihad, a sobering lesson that in Asia, the final whistle is never the end until the clock truly runs out.