Kawasaki Frontale are into the final of the AFC Champions League Elite following a 3-2 victory over Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr.
The Japanese team held on to progress from their first appearance in the last four of the competition, and their first meeting with Al-Nassr.
Kawasaki hit the front after 10 minutes at Al Inma Bank Stadium, with Tatsuya Ito putting them ahead.
Sadio Mane dragged Al-Nassr level 18 minutes later, arrowing a fine right-footed strike in off the post.
Yet Yuto Ozeki’s effort put Kawasaki ahead again four minutes before half-time, with Akihiro Ienaga extending their lead in the 76th minute.
Substitute Aiman Yahya dragged Al-Nassr back into it late on, but it was too little, too late for the Saudi giants, with Ronaldo having four shots in stoppage time but failing to find an equaliser.
Kawasaki will face Al-Nassr’s Saudi Pro League rivals Al-Ahli in the final on Saturday.
Full time. pic.twitter.com/Cv2VLzWDWL
— AlNassr FC (@AlNassrFC_EN) April 30, 2025
Data Debrief: Third time unlucky for Al-Nassr
Al-Nassr have now reached three AFC Champions League semi-finals, but have yet to progress to the final.
It was not for a lack of trying, as they accumulated 2.07 expected goals from their 21 shots, six of which hit the target.
Ronaldo had eight of those attempts, though he could only hit the target with two of them. It means his goal tally in the competition this season rounds out at eight, the highest tally for an Al-Nassr player in a single edition, surpassing Abderrazak Hamdallah’s seven goals in 2020.
The last time Ronaldo scored more in a continental club competition was in the 2017-2018 UEFA Champions League (15 goals).
Kawasaki, meanwhile, have become the fifth Japanese team to reach the final, after Urawa Red Diamonds, Gamba Osaka, Kashima Antlers, and Yokohama Marinos.
It means a Japanese team has reached the final in each of the last three editions.
