The AFC Champions League Elite Finals has not even reached its main phase yet, and it has already thrown up a huge shock.
The rescheduled, single-leg last 16 fixtures on Monday night culminated in the biggest side in the tournament going out. And that was far from the only talking point.
Toney fails from the spot
February 20, 2026, was a momentous day for world football: Ivan Toney missed a penalty.
Prior to that, the England striker had scored all 24 of the 24 penalties he had taken for Al Ahli Saudi since his arrival from Brentford.
The ice-cool striker has always been regarded as a banker from the spot, arguably the most reliable in the world.
When he missed that one against Al Najmah a couple of months ago, he responded by firing a hat-trick.
Turns out, he is fallible after all. In stoppage time against stubborn Al Duhail on Monday night in Jeddah, he missed again from the spot.
Mahrez magic
After Toney’s miss, the fervent home crowd at King Abdullah Sports City were in a panic.
Their players were falling foul of cramp left, right and centre. Duhail were raining in shots that were getting increasingly close to finding a way past Edouard Mendy.
And even the world’s best penalty taker, their dead cert for a goal, was now suddenly human.
It took a little bit of class to settle the nerves. Riyad Mahrez had said last year that winning the top Asian title with Al Ahli was up there with everything he had achieved previously with the likes of Leicester City and Manchester City.
Clearly, he is intent on doubling up this time around in Jeddah. He swept in a majestic free kick late into extra time to send Al Ahli through to the quarter-finals with a 1-0 win.
Kamikaze beats catenaccio
Accepted wisdom might suggest a knockout game involving two canny Italian coaches could be a cagey snoozefest.
Not a bit of it. The last-16 tie between Simone Inzaghi’s Al Hilal and Roberto Mancini’s Al Sadd was less catenaccio and more kamikaze.
Given their bank balance and their enviable array of star names, Hilal were favourites to win the title. No club has won this competition more times than the “Real Madrid of Asia”.
Having players like Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Salem Al Dawsari and Marcos Leonardo in their ranks mean they are always a threat, even if they don’t play well as a team. Each of those players scored against Sadd on Monday night.
And yet the Qatari side had their measure. Sadd came from behind three times, via goals from Claudinho, Rafa Mújica and Roberto Firmino, before claiming the win in a penalty shoot-out.
So Karim Benzema, Ruben Neves et al will be conspicuous by their absence from the quarter-final tie with Japan’s Vissel Kobe on Thursday.
Happy Al Sadd
Sadd were remarkably focused in their meeting with Hilal given that they might well have been busy celebrating instead.
While they were preparing to kick off at the Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium they were simultaneously being crowned champions of their domestic league.
Al Shamal, their closest challengers at the top of the Qatar Stars League, lost to Qatar SC. It meant Sadd could no longer be caught at the top of the table.
It was Sadd’s 19th Qatar title and their third in a row. Could a third Asian crown be next, after their thrilling win over Hilal?
Tractor plough on
Ticket sales have been slow for Tuesday’s first last-16 fixture, between Dubai’s Shabab Al Ahli and Tractor SC, the Iranian champions.
That stands to reason. Not many people would have thought the game would go ahead, given the situation in the region.
Iran’s sports ministry announced a ban on its teams travelling to play in “hostile” territories last month. In so doing, it cited Tractor’s participation in the Champions League in Jeddah.
And yet the club have made it to the tournament, despite the many obstacles facing them. Their journey to get there included a five-hour road trip to Van in Turkey, a flight from there to Istanbul, then a further onward flight to Jeddah.
As a result of the conflict, they have not played a game since February 26. Their dearth of game time has been the polar opposite to their opponents.
Shabab Al Ahli v Al Jazira - in pictures
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Iranian footballers Sardar Azmoun, left, and Saeid Ezatolahi suffered mixed fortunes in the 2-1 win over Al Jazira on April 4, 2026. Azmoun laid on an assist for one Shabab Al Ahli's goals while Ezatolahi was sent off at Rashid Stadium, Dubai. All photos: Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Sardar Azmoun of Shabab Al Ahli is continuing to step up his recovery from injury. -
Head coach of Shabab Al Ahli Paulo Sousa. -
Saeid Ezatolahi of Shabab Al Ahli battles with Felício Milson of Al Jazira. -
Shabab Al Ahli fans show their support at Rashid Stadium, Dubai. -
Renan celebrates scoring in Shabab Al Ahli's 2-1 win over Al Jazira. -
Shabab Al Ahli players during a team huddle. -
Nabil Fekir of Al Jazira scores from the penalty spot. -
Renan was on target for Shabab Al Ahli.
Shabab Al Ahli have played six times since Tractor were last in action, many of them consequential fixtures.
Their bid for trophies has suffered a variety of knocks in that time. They went out of the President’s Cup to Al Jazira and lost an epic top-of-the-table clash against Al Ain in the UAE Pro League on Friday night.
