Sharjah coach credits in-depth preparation for stunning win over champs Al Ahli Saudi

Sharjah head coach Abdulmajid Al Nimr credited his team’s thorough preparation for their 1-0 victory over defending champions Al Ahli Saudi in the AFC Champions League Elite 2025/26 on Monday.

After a listless first half, Ousmane Camara’s 81st-minute strike earned Sharjah the win, ending Al Ahli’s 22-match unbeaten run on the continental stage.

“I would like to congratulate the whole team on the victory. It was a hard-fought win against the defending champions, and the match was generally evenly contested,” said Al Nimr.

“We deserved to win because we studied Al Ahli Saudi well. They could have won even with their second-tier players, and we also didn’t field eight key players in this match.”

The win halted a two-match losing streak for AFC Champions League Two 2024-25 winners Sharjah, who moved to seven points from five matches while Al Ahli remained rooted on 10.

Head coach Matthias Jaissle was left to reflect on the challenges of rotating his Al Ahli squad.

“The result was difficult. The aim of this match was to give some players a chance. We must look at the schedule from all angles and we have a tough (Saudi King’s Cup) match against Al Qadsia on Friday,” said Jaissle.

“The reason for the loss and our failure to score was the lack of harmony due to the rotation.”

Al Ahli Saudi will aim to bounce back against Iraq’s Al Shorta on December 22, while Sharjah will face Al Hilal SFC.

Shabab Al Ahli head coach Paulo Sousa highlighted his side’s tactical control following their 2-0 win over Al Gharafa.

Shabab Al Ahli dominated from start to finish, with first half goals from Kauan Santos and Guilherme Bala securing the three points for the Emirati side.

“It was a very good win for our team against opponents who have been performing very well in the league – this makes our victory more significant,” said Sousa.

“We had excellent control of the game and created many scoring opportunities- both from set-pieces and transitions.”

Sousa also stressed the importance of squad management moving forward.

“We have come close to advancing from this stage and now the focus is recovering as many players as possible, especially since we have very few available due to national team commitments.”

The win moved Shabab Al Ahlii to 10 points, keeping them firmly on course for the next stage while Al Gharafa head coach Pedro Martins reflected on the challenging start that set the tone for the match.

“Our first 15-20 minutes cost us two goals from two mistakes and the team wasn’t fully comfortable with key players missing. But after that we balanced the game and fought hard,” said Martins.

“We took risks in the second half and created chances and gave everything until the final whistle but we couldn’t match Al Shabab’s intensity.

“Our goal also is to advance to the next stage. We have a very good group and I’m very proud of the players and the team because we did everything.”

Meanwhile, coach Dragan Skocic was pleased to see Tractor edge closer to the next stage after their gritty 1-0 defeat of Nasaf.

The victory — the third of the campaign for the Iran side — saw them move up to 11 points in the West Zone with Skocic hailing the resilience shown by unbeaten Tractor under difficult conditions at Markaziy Stadium.

“I think we had control in the first half,” said Skocic. “Both sides could have scored. Chances were created, it was an interesting match.

“But in the second half, our game was a little different, the advantage went more to the opponents. If we had scored the second goal, we would have been more calm.

“But in the end, victory with a narrow margin is also pleasing.”