Al Nassr vs Kawasaki Frontale

Al Nassr secured their place as the third Saudi club in the AFC Champions League Elite semi-finals, setting up a clash with Japan’s Kawasaki Frontale. The victor will face either Al Hilal or Al Ahli in the final.

As anticipated, Al Nassr triumphed over Japanese team Yokohama F. Marinos in the quarter-finals. Their star-studded lineup shone, with Jhon Duran scoring twice, alongside goals from Sadio Mane and Cristiano Ronaldo, sealing a 4-1 victory.

However, Al Nassr’s defense remains a concern, as they conceded yet again. This marks their sixth consecutive game with both teams scoring, though they’ve only failed to find the net once in their last 10 matches.

Kawasaki Frontale, meanwhile, faced a tougher path to the semi-finals, needing extra time to defeat Qatar’s Al Sadd. Despite leading twice, Al Sadd equalized to force extra time, only for Yasuto Wakizaka to score the decisive goal in the 98th minute.

As the excitement settles, Kawasaki Frontale will recognize the challenge ahead. They’ve managed just one win in their last six games but have only lost once in their last 10. In their past seven Champions League matches, they’ve claimed victory in six.

Kawasaki Frontale right-back Sai van Wermeskerken reflected on their quarter-final triumph, emphasizing the team’s strategic focus heading into the match:
“We studied the other playoff games and noticed a pattern—Western division teams were scoring early. Our objective was to shut that down from the start,” he explained. “Thankfully, we struck first, which allowed us to take control. Even after conceding, we stayed composed and confident in our style. The substitutes, including myself, were fired up. We believed we could shift the momentum—and that’s exactly what we did.”

Van Wermeskerken also touched on Frontale’s proactive style and what it meant to be the first Eastern division side to net the opening goal in the playoffs:
“That didn’t surprise us. We know the level of talent we have. Unlike other Eastern teams that seemed to play more cautiously—maybe influenced by the crowd or pressure—we were determined to stay aggressive and express ourselves. We had already made the decision to play our way, with confidence in our quality.

Al-Nassr has easily navigated the playoff bracket, reaching the semifinals. They overcame Iranian side Esteghlal 3-0 in the Round of 16 before defeating Yokohama Marinos 4-1 in the quarterfinals on April 26. This is Al-Nassr's third participation in the AFC Champions League semifinals, having previously reached this level in the 2019/20 and 2020/21 seasons. However, they did not get to the final on both occasions. Cristiano Ronaldo has not yet joined the "global club," therefore the forthcoming match marked his first semifinal appearance in this event.