Al-Ahli Saudi — Auckland 1:0, FIFA Intercontinental Cup — Sportpul

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FIFA Intercontinental Cup

Al-Ahli Saudi LWLWDL

1:0

Finished

Kick-off was 26 Aug, 19:00 BST

Auckland DWWLLL

Venue: King Abdullah Sports City City: Jeddah

In the FIFA Intercontinental Cup game on 26 August 2026, Al-Ahli Saudi beat Auckland 1:0. Match numbers: corners 9:1, fouls 14:13.

Match report

Al-Ahli Saudi Arabia saw off Auckland FC 1-0 in the Round of 16 of the FIFA Club World Cup at King Abdullah Sports City. The hosts took all three points on 26 August, with the victory capping a run of four unbeaten games across all competitions. Auckland's away form has been mixed — they had won two and drawn two in their last five before this trip to Saudi Arabia.

The decisive moment came in the 63rd minute when Saleh Abu Al-Shamat finished off a move that Al-Ahli had worked patiently. The visitors had already lost Hiroki Sakai to a yellow card just before half-time, and the substitution that followed seemed to shift their momentum. By then, Francis De Vries was also on the board for a booking, and Auckland carried the side with less than a third of the ball.

Discipline tightened as the match progressed. Merih Demiral picked up a yellow in the 81st minute, and then Sam Cosgrove was shown red eight minutes later — a blow that left Auckland reduced to ten men. Al-Ahli made three changes in stoppage time, bringing on Ivan Toney, Zakaria Hawsawi and Demiral himself, while Auckland responded with Lachlan Bayliss and Aaron Calver earlier in the second half.

The numbers tell the story of a one-sided afternoon. Al-Ahli held 68 per cent possession and created 1.43 expected goals from their chances. They hit the target three times from nine attempts inside the penalty area, with another six shots flying wide. Auckland managed only 0.33 expected goals and saw just one of their three shots on target find the net. The visitors made 37 clearances compared to 19 for the hosts — a sign of how often they were under pressure.

The result moves Al-Ahli deeper into the tournament, while Auckland's campaign comes to an end. They had drawn three of their last five matches and lost only once in that period, but a single goal and a red card proved too much to overcome. The hosts now look ahead to the quarter-finals with confidence.

Prepared from match data

Video

Match highlights Al-Ahli Saudi — Auckland FIFA

Key numbers

Possession, % 68 – 32

Shots on target 3 – 3

Shots off target 6 – 4

Expected goals 1.43 – 0.33

🟨 45+1' Hiroki Sakai — Yellow card ⇄ 48' Hiroki Sakai — Substitution 🟨 57' Francis De Vries — Yellow card ⇄ 62' Ziyad Aljohani — Substitution ⇄ 62' Wenderson Galeno — Substitution ⚽ 63' Saleh Abu Al-Shamat — Goal ⇄ 76' Lachlan Bayliss — Substitution ⇄ 76' Daniel Normann — Substitution 🟨 81' Merih Demiral — Yellow card ⇄ 83' Aaron Calver — Substitution 🟥 87' Sam Cosgrove — Red card ⇄ 90' Ivan Toney — Substitution ⇄ 90' Zakaria Hawsawi — Substitution ⇄ 90' Merih Demiral — Substitution

Match events

45+1' 0:0 Auckland Yellow card Hiroki Sakai
48' 0:0 Auckland Substitution Hiroki Sakai off: Callan Elliot
57' 0:0 Auckland Yellow card Francis De Vries
62' 0:0 Al-Ahli Saudi Substitution Ziyad Aljohani off: Artem Bondarenko
62' 0:0 Al-Ahli Saudi Substitution Wenderson Galeno off: Saleh Abu Al-Shamat
63' 1:0 Al-Ahli Saudi Goal Saleh Abu Al-Shamat assist: Eduard Spertsyan
76' 1:0 Auckland Substitution Lachlan Bayliss off: Fitzharris Van
76' 1:0 Auckland Substitution Daniel Normann off: Cameron Howieson
81' 1:0 Al-Ahli Saudi Yellow card Merih Demiral
83' 1:0 Auckland Substitution Aaron Calver off: Ronan Wynne
87' 1:0 Auckland Red card Sam Cosgrove
90' 1:0 Al-Ahli Saudi Substitution Ivan Toney off: Firas Al-Buraikan
90' 1:0 Al-Ahli Saudi Substitution Zakaria Hawsawi off: Rayan Hamed
90' 1:0 Al-Ahli Saudi Substitution Merih Demiral off: Mohammed Sulaiman Bakor

Statistics

68 Possession, % 32

3 Shots on target 3

6 Shots off target 4

1.43 Expected goals 0.33

2 Big chances 1

120 Attacks 53

9 Corners 1

14 Fouls 13

13 Free kicks 14

1 Offsides 0

1 Yellow cards 2

0 Red cards 1

6 Goal kicks 8

15 Throw-ins 16

All statistics

12/2548% Aerial duels 13/2552%

60 Backward passes 24

8 Blocked shots 0

19 Clearances 37

3/329% Crosses 2/450%

14/2458% Dribbles 2/540%

0.87 Expected assists 0.39

50 Failed passes 63

3 Goalkeeper saves 2

9 Interceptions 10

13 Key passes 7

17/2665% Long passes 15/4434%

126 Passes into the final third 30

319 Passes in the opposition half 112

179 Passes in own half 118

0.18 Shot accuracy 0.43

6 Shots from outside the box 3

11 Shots inside the box 4

5/771% Tackles 9/1656%

466 Total passes 226

Line-ups

Al-Ahli Saudi

Starting XI
#	Player	number
16	Édouard Osoque Mendy	16
2	Z. Al-Hausawi	2
3	Roger Ibañez da Silva	3
28	Merih Demiral	28
29	Muhammad Abdulrahman	29
6	Valentin Atangana Edoa	6
7	Francisco António Machado Mota de Castro Trincão	7
8	Eduard Spertsyan	8
13	Wenderson Rodrigues do Nascimento Galeno	13
30	Ziyad Mubarak Eid Al Marwani Al Johani	30
17	Ivan Benjamin Elijah Toney	17

Substitutes
#	Player	number
1	Abdulrahman Salem Fadhel Al Sanbi	1
5	Muhammad Suleiman	5
31	Saad Yaslam Balobaid	31
46	Rayane Hamidou	46
11	Meshal Al Mutairi	11
19	Artem Bondarenko	19
66	Naif Masud	66
9	Feras Tariq Nasser Al Brikan	9
20	Matheus Gonçalves Martins	20
21	Abdullah Hadi Jaber Radif	21
47	Waheb Saleh	47
77	Ricardo Matias	77

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Auckland

Starting XI
#	Player	number
1	Michael Cornelis Woud	1
2	Hiroki Sakai	2
4	Nando Zen Pijnaker	4
15	Francis de Vries	15
28	Aaron Calver	28
8	Luis Felipe Gallegos Leiva	8
27	Logan Tipene Rogerson	27
77	Lachlan Ricky Brook	77
9	Sam Benjamin Cosgrove	9
10	Lachlan Bailey	10

Substitutes
#	Player	number
30	Joseph James Knowles	30
50	Eli Jones	50
17	Callan Elliot	17
23	R. Wynne	23
25	Luka Vicelich	25
7	Cameron Drew Neru Howieson	7
18	M. Leuluai	18
57	Fitzharris Van	57
24	Aaron Cartwright	24
35	Jonty Bidois	35

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Auckland

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Match information

State: Finished
Series: FIFA Intercontinental Cup
Venue: King Abdullah Sports City
City: Jeddah
Kick-off: 26 Aug, 19:00 BST
Referee: Amin Mohamed Omar

Key numbers

68:32 Possession, %
3:3 Shots on target
6:4 Shots off target
1.43:0.33 Expected goals

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