Matthias Jaissle relishes landmark triumph as Al Ahli defend Asian Champions League crown

Al Ahli held onto their championship even after competing in the closing phase of the game with just 10 players due to Zakaria Hawsawis dismissal, as Feras Al-Brikan scored the decisive goal during extra time.

"I'm just really proud of what the team achieved, how ‌every player was committed to the journey," stated the German, marking him as the initial manager to secure back-to-back championships since the start of the Asian Champions League format in 2002.

"This ‌year was special because we needed to overcome more obstacles along the way."

The championship victory allowed Al Ahli to match the feat of their local competitors Al Ittihad, who claimed the prize in 2004 and 2005, and Jaissle acknowledged that his squad gained an edge from the final event taking place at the teams home ground.

"Obviously ‌a part of it (winning again) was because we played here in Jeddah in front of our ​fans, who pushed us and gave us extra energy," he remarked. "To win it back-to-back is something historic.

"It feels a bit weird. My tank is a ​bit empty. So much relief because the pressure was on. It will take a couple of days for this to sink in but we still have matches in the ⁠league and we still want ​to progress ahead of the teams in front of us."

Al-Brikan scores extra-time decider following Hawsawi red card

Al Ahli encountered Japanese rivals in the championship match for the second successive season, after overcoming Kawasaki Frontale the previous year, yet Jaissles group found it tough to penetrate Go ‌Kurodas organised outfit.

Machida entered the showdown at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium with just seven goals allowed in 12 fixtures across the tournament and four straight shutouts during the elimination stages,

Goalkeeper Kosei Tani stepped up to thwart Galeno and Merih Demiral struck the bar, whereas the Japanese team posed minimal threat on the opposite side.

This changed when Hawsawi received his marching orders in the 68th minute for headbutting Tete Yengi right in front of referee Ilgiz Tantashev, with the Uzbek match official promptly issuing the ejection to the defender.

Although Machida grew bolder with the numerical superiority, Al Ahli struck the 96th-minute clincher as Al-Brikan finished from near range following Franck Kessies pass from Riyad Mahrezs delivery.

"We knew we were ‌facing opponents who are so disciplined when out of possession," explained Jaissle. "We had opportunities to score but it became harder after Hawsawi was sent off for an unnecessary action.

"But we showed the right mentality and the players kept believing and that makes me so proud as a coach.

"We talked about it at the break ⁠that with a man down, we had ⁠to suffer more and work harder. ‌However, we have quality players who can make one moment count."