Al-Ahli Wins Big Football Trophy Again (CEFR Compare)

Apr 26, 2026, 10:16

Al-Ahli Wins Big Football Trophy Again

Introduction

Al-Ahli is a football team from Saudi Arabia. They beat a team from Japan on Saturday. Now they have won the Asian Champions League Elite two times in a row.

Main Body

The game was in Jeddah. Almost 60,000 people watched. Al-Ahli won 1-0. Feras Al-Brikan scored the goal in the last minute. One Al-Ahli player, Zakaria Hawsawi, hit another player with his head. The referee gave him a red card. Hawsawi had to leave the game. Al-Ahli had fewer players on the field. Coach Matthias Jaissle is very happy. He is the first coach to win this trophy two years in a row. He says the fans in the stadium helped the team win.

Conclusion

Al-Ahli is the champion again. Now the team will play more games in their local league.

Vocabulary Learning

beat (v.)

defeat / to win against someone in a game擊敗；戰勝

Example:Our school team beat the other school in the football match.

champion (n.)

winner / a person or team that wins a competition冠軍；優勝者

Example:After winning every game this season, they are finally the league champions.

referee (n.)

official / a person who makes sure players follow the rules裁判；球證

Example:The referee gave the player a red card for hitting another person.

stadium (n.)

arena / a large building where people watch sports體育場；運動場

Example:Thousands of fans arrived at the stadium early to get the best seats.

trophy (n.)

prize / a cup or object given to a winner獎盃；獎座

Example:The captain held the gold trophy high after the team won the final.

Sentence Learning

Al-Ahli is a football team from Saudi Arabia.

Origin: The prepositional phrase 'from Saudi Arabia' shows where the team comes from來源: 介詞短語 'from Saudi Arabia' 顯示了球隊來自哪裡。

They beat a team from Japan on Saturday.

Time: The time marker 'on Saturday' tells us the specific day the event happened時間: 時間標記 'on Saturday' 告訴我們事件發生的具體日子。

The game was in Jeddah.

Location: The prepositional phrase 'in Jeddah' identifies the city where the game took place地點: 介詞短語 'in Jeddah' 指出了比賽進行的城市。

Feras Al-Brikan scored the goal in the last minute.

Time Detail: The phrase 'in the last minute' describes the exact timing of the action時間細節: 短語 'in the last minute' 描述了動作發生的準確時間。

Now the team will play more games in their local league.

Time Marker: The word 'Now' indicates the current situation or future plans時間標記: 'Now' 一詞表示現在的情況或未來的計劃。

Al-Ahli Wins Back-to-Back Asian Champions League Elite Titles

Introduction

The Saudi Arabian club Al-Ahli defeated Japan's Machida Zelvia on Saturday, becoming the first team in more than twenty years to win consecutive Asian Champions League Elite championships.

Main Body

The match took place at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah in front of 58,984 fans, ending in a 1-0 victory for Al-Ahli. The winning goal was scored by Feras Al-Brikan in the 96th minute, following a cross from Riyad Mahrez and an assist by Franck Kessie. This achievement repeats the success seen by Al-Ittihad in 2004 and 2005. However, the team faced a significant challenge in the second half when defender Zakaria Hawsawi was sent off in the 68th minute. Referee Ilgiz Tantashev gave him a straight red card after he headbutted Tete Yengi. As a result, Al-Ahli had to play with fewer players while trying to break through a strong Machida Zelvia defense, which had only conceded seven goals in twelve matches and kept four clean sheets during the knockout stage. Coach Matthias Jaissle, the first manager to win two titles in a row since the competition began in 2002, emphasized that the players' determination and the advantage of playing at home were key to the win. He claimed that the energy from the local supporters helped the team overcome the loss of a player. Furthermore, analysts noted that the Asian Football Confederation's (AFC) decision to host the finals in Jeddah gave Al-Ahli a clear advantage, as the match remained a draw until extra time despite increased pressure from Machida Zelvia.

Conclusion

Al-Ahli has successfully kept the title, and Coach Jaissle is now focusing on the club's remaining league matches.

Vocabulary Learning

concede (v.)

to allow a goal or point to be scored against you（比賽中）失球；被對手得分

Example:The goalkeeper was disappointed to concede a goal in the final minutes of the match.

consecutive (adj.)

following each other continuously / back-to-back連續的；接連的

Example:The team has won five consecutive matches this season.

determination (n.)

the quality of trying to do something even if it is difficult決心；毅力

Example:Her determination to succeed helped her overcome many obstacles.

emphasize (v.)

to give special importance to something強調；著重

Example:The coach wanted to emphasize the importance of teamwork during the training session.

significant (adj.)

important or noticeable顯著的；重要的

Example:There has been a significant increase in the number of fans attending the games.

Sentence Learning

The Saudi Arabian club Al-Ahli defeated Japan's Machida Zelvia on Saturday, becoming the first team in more than twenty years to win consecutive Asian Champions League Elite championships.

Present Participle Phrase: The phrase beginning with 'becoming' acts as a resultative participle, showing the immediate consequence of the main action.現在分詞短語: 以「becoming」開頭的短語作為結果分詞，展示了主句動作所帶來的直接後果。

The winning goal was scored by Feras Al-Brikan in the 96th minute, following a cross from Riyad Mahrez and an assist by Franck Kessie.

Passive Voice: This structure focuses on the action (the goal) rather than the subject to maintain a formal reporting tone.被動語態: 此結構將焦點放在動作（進球）而非主體上，以維持正式的報導語氣。

As a result, Al-Ahli had to play with fewer players while trying to break through a strong Machida Zelvia defense, which had only conceded seven goals in twelve matches and kept four clean sheets during the knockout stage.

Non-defining Relative Clause: The clause starting with 'which' provides extra background information about the defense without being essential to the sentence's core meaning.非限定關係子句: 以「which」引導的子句為該防線提供了額外的背景資訊，但並非句子的核心意義所必需。

Coach Matthias Jaissle, the first manager to win two titles in a row since the competition began in 2002, emphasized that the players' determination and the advantage of playing at home were key to the win.

Noun Clause: The 'that' clause functions as the object of the verb 'emphasized,' reporting the coach's specific statement or belief.名詞子句: 「that」子句作為動詞「emphasized」的受詞，用於轉述教練的具體陳述或信念。

Furthermore, analysts noted that the Asian Football Confederation's (AFC) decision to host the finals in Jeddah gave Al-Ahli a clear advantage, as the match remained a draw until extra time despite increased pressure from Machida Zelvia.

Linking Word - Contrast: 'Despite' is used to show contrast, followed by a noun phrase to indicate an unexpected outcome given the circumstances.連接詞 - 對比: 「despite」用於表示對比，後接名詞短語，以指出在特定情況下出現的意外結果。

Al-Ahli Secures Consecutive Asian Champions League Elite Titles

Introduction

The Saudi Arabian club Al-Ahli achieved a victory over Japan's Machida Zelvia on Saturday, becoming the first team in over twenty years to win consecutive Asian Champions League Elite championships.

Main Body

The match, conducted at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah before an attendance of 58,984, concluded with a 1-0 victory for Al-Ahli. The decisive goal was scored by Feras Al-Brikan in the 96th minute, following a cross from Riyad Mahrez and an assist by Franck Kessie. This result mirrors the 2004 and 2005 achievements of Al-Ittihad. Technical challenges occurred during the second half when defender Zakaria Hawsawi was dismissed in the 68th minute. Referee Ilgiz Tantashev issued a straight red card following a headbutt directed at Tete Yengi. This reduction in personnel occurred while Al-Ahli was attempting to penetrate a Machida Zelvia defense that had conceded only seven goals across twelve competition matches and maintained four consecutive clean sheets during the knockout phase. Coach Matthias Jaissle, the first manager to secure back-to-back titles since the competition's inception in 2002, attributed the outcome to the players' resilience and the strategic advantage of playing in their home city. He noted that the presence of local supporters provided necessary energy to offset the numerical disadvantage. From an analytical perspective, the venue selection by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to host the final stages in Jeddah provided Al-Ahli with a distinct home-field advantage. While Machida Zelvia increased their offensive pressure following the red card, the match remained scoreless until the extra-time period.

Conclusion

Al-Ahli has successfully retained the title, with Coach Jaissle now shifting focus toward the club's remaining league fixtures.

Vocabulary Learning

consecutive (adj.)

following one after another without interruption連續的；接連的

Example:Al-Ahli secured consecutive Asian Champions League Elite titles.

inception (n.)

the establishment or beginning of an institution or activity開始；創立

Example:This was the first back-to-back title since the competition's inception in 2002.

offset (v.)

to counteract or compensate for something抵消；補償

Example:The home crowd helped offset the numerical disadvantage.

penetrate (v.)

to succeed in entering or passing through something穿透；突破

Example:Al-Ahli attempted to penetrate the Machida Zelvia defense.

resilience (n.)

the ability to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness韌性；復原力

Example:The coach praised the players' resilience after the red card.

Sentence Learning

The match, conducted at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah before an attendance of 58,984, concluded with a 1-0 victory for Al-Ahli.

Reduced Relative Clause: The past participle phrase 'conducted at...' functions as a non-restrictive modifier, providing extra context without the use of a relative pronoun or auxiliary verb.縮略關係子句: 過去分詞短語 'conducted at...' 作為非限制性修飾語，在省略關係代名詞或助動詞的情況下提供額外的背景資訊。

This reduction in personnel occurred while Al-Ahli was attempting to penetrate a Machida Zelvia defense that had conceded only seven goals across twelve competition matches and maintained four consecutive clean sheets during the knockout phase.

Complex Relative Clause with Parallelism: The relative pronoun 'that' governs two past perfect verbs ('had conceded' and 'maintained'), creating a sophisticated description of a state preceding another past action.具平行結構的複雜關係子句: 關係代名詞 'that' 引導兩個過去完成式動詞（'had conceded' 與 'maintained'），精確描述在另一過去動作發生前已存在的狀態。

Coach Matthias Jaissle, the first manager to secure back-to-back titles since the competition's inception in 2002, attributed the outcome to the players' resilience and the strategic advantage of playing in their home city.

Appositive with Infinitive Modifier: The noun phrase 'the first manager...' identifies the subject, further modified by an infinitive phrase 'to secure...' which denotes a specific achievement.帶不定式修飾語的同位語: 名詞短語 'the first manager...' 用於辨識主語，並由不定式短語 'to secure...' 進一步修飾，用以說明特定的成就。

From an analytical perspective, the venue selection by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to host the final stages in Jeddah provided Al-Ahli with a distinct home-field advantage.

Prepositional Phrase as Sentence Adverbial: The opening phrase 'From an analytical perspective' sets a professional, evaluative tone, framing the entire proposition that follows with high lexical precision.介詞短語作句子狀語: 開首短語 'From an analytical perspective' 奠定了專業評估的基調，以高度精確的詞彙為隨後的整個命題設定了論述框架。

He noted that the presence of local supporters provided necessary energy to offset the numerical disadvantage.

Noun Clause as Direct Object: The sentence uses a 'that' clause to report a specific observation, featuring high lexical density with abstract nouns like 'presence', 'energy', and 'disadvantage'.名詞子句作直接賓語: 句子使用 'that' 子句來陳述特定的觀察結果，並透過 'presence'、'energy' 及 'disadvantage' 等抽象名詞展現高度的詞彙密度。