Lifting the AFC Champions League Elite trophy on Saudi Arabian soil made Al-Ahli's final victory over Kawasaki Frontale all the sweeter for goalkeeper Edouard Mendy.

Galeno and Franck Kessie scored to propel Al-Ahli to their first continental title on Saturday, earning a deserved 2-0 win over their J1 League opponents in the final at King Abdullah Sports City.

Galeno curled home a delightful strike from outside the area after 35 minutes, finding the top-right corner with a dipping strike from Roberto Firmino's simple offload.

And Firmino was again the creator seven minutes later when his right-sided delivery found Franck Kessie to thump a header beyond Louis Yamaguchi from close range.

Al-Ahli are the third Saudi Pro League club to be crowned Asian champions after Al-Hilal and Al-Ittihad, and former Chelsea goalkeeper Mendy was delighted their triumph came at their home stadium.

"We are so proud," Mendy said. "Once we knew the final eight would be played in Jeddah, it was our goal to be champions in front of our fans. 

"Since I came here 18 months ago, they have supported us so much.

"As I said when I signed here, it's to make history, to continue to win trophies and make this club as big as it was before."

 CHAMPIONS OF ASIA #AHLvKWF#ACLEliteFinal#الأهلي_كاواساكي#ملوك_آسيا pic.twitter.com/2N8qxI2MoE

— Al-Ahli Saudi Club (@ALAHLI_FCEN) May 3, 2025

Kawasaki coach Shigetoshi Hasebe, meanwhile, blamed simple errors for his team's defeat, telling reporters: "For us, if we could play as we planned, we could have won.

"We showed that in the last two games, but tonight it didn't work so we have to do more in the future.

"This result is not what we expected. They played well. We conceded two goals and they deserve to be champions.

"Al-Ahli could show their strength in the first half and we couldn't show ours. The key was the second goal that we conceded."

Al-Ahli's second goal came while Kawasaki left-back Sota Miura was off the field receiving treatment, prompting Hasebe to take responsibility.

"I don't think they did anything special against us tonight," Hasebe added. "We made mistakes when we conceded the goals.

"When we conceded the second goal, at that time we had 10 players on the pitch. If I think about it now, maybe I could have replaced another player in that position. That could have been my mistake."