Al Ahli won with the competition but weren't good enough in SPL. The pressure's different in SPL they're playing for local fans. Against Kawasaki Frontale they played a good match & were rewarded with the trophy.
Different competition, different pressure. Al-Ahli were lucky because they met Kawasaki Frontale in the final & not Al-Nassr. If Al-Nassr were in Frontale's position, I don't think Al-Ahli would have won the trophy. It's a shame to see Cristiano, he should have won the champions trophy, but because of the team and bad luck, he failed to win it.
BTW for SPL itself, there are 5 matches left, equivalent to 15 points, do you think Al-Hilal can catch up with Al-Ittihad's points?