Frank Kessie’s early goal settled the contest at Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium in a game that saw both teams creating plenty of chances only to be let down by poor finishing.
Al Ahli needed only two minutes to storm into the lead when Riyad Mahrez picked out the run of Kessie, who controlled the ball without breaking stride before slamming an unstoppable shot past Alexis Guendouz.
Late in the first half, Adam Makhadneh awarded Persepolis a penalty following Merih Demiral’s foul on Oston Uronov but he changed his decision following a VAR review.
Al Ahli was also handed a golden opportunity to get a second goal after Toney was brought down by Hossein Kanani in the box but Mahrez’s spot-kick was well saved by Guendouz just before the hour mark.