Saudi Gazette report
JEDDAH — A fighting Sharjah FC stunned defending champions Al Ahli Saudi FC 1-0 in their AFC Champions League Elite 2025/26 clash at King Abdullah Sports City Hall Stadium on Monday.

An 81st-minute strike from Ousmane Camara ended the Saudi side’s unbeaten run in the competition, leaving them on 10 points from five matches, while the UAE team moved to seven.

Sharjah started aggressively, though Al Ahli carved the first opening when Adel Al Hosani smothered Fahad Al Rashidi’s volley in the 12th minute.

The visitors responded quickly, with Luanzinho seeing one attempt blocked before sending another effort wide from 18 yards.

The match then slowed considerably, with neither side producing clear chances. Luanzinho tried an ambitious effort from the byline in the 40th minute, only for Abdulrahman Al Sanbi to react sharply and push it away.

The Brazilian appeared to be in trouble moments later when he was shown a straight red for an alleged elbow on Mohammed Yousef three minutes into stoppage time, but VAR downgraded the card to yellow, offering Sharjah relief at the break.

After halftime, both teams pushed with increased physicality. Al Ahli’s Enzo Millot and Sharjah’s Shaheen Abdalla and Majid Rashid all received bookings within four minutes as tensions rose. Still, neither side managed a shot on target.

The breakthrough finally came in the 81st minute. Luanzinho threaded a precise through ball to Camara, who outpaced two defenders and slid his finish past the onrushing Al Sanbi to silence the home crowd.

Al Ahli pushed desperately for an equaliser and thought they had one when Ziyad Al Johani scored two minutes into stoppage time, but VAR ruled the effort out after a lengthy review, sealing Sharjah’s upset win.