AFC Champions League
Hail Al Hilal
Historically, the team that wins the first leg goes on to win the trophy – as Hilal knew only too well
It had been a long time coming but, in the November night sky just north of Tokyo, Al Hilal finally lifted the AFC Champions League trophy, the Saudi Arabians beating Urawa Red Diamonds, 1-0 at home and then 2-0 in Japan.
It was a deserved victory, even though the crowds that lined the streets of Riyadh to hail the homecoming heroes would have turned out anyway.
The television audience for the game was also swelled by thousands of students in the region who were allowed to finish school early and watch the second leg.
That decision, however, was met with disapproval from authorities who felt that giving fans of one club such privileges would only lead to others wanting the same in the future. Ministry of Education spokesperson Ebtesam Al Shehri tweeted: “The Ministry of Education considers that educational institutions are vital systems of society, with educational messages that do not fit involvement in the competitions of sports clubs.”
That may be true – but one of the biggest clubs on the continent really wanted this.
It was third time lucky for Hilal, who had lifted the top prize in Asia twice before, in 1991 and 2000, when it was known as the Asian Club Championship, but had not won the Champions League since it began in 2003. Hilal had come close twice before. In 2014 they dominated the Final against Western Sydney Wanderers. They lost the first leg 1-0 in Australia but the pressure was intense in Riyadh, with four penalty shouts turned down by the referee in a goalless draw that their fans have not stopped talking about since.
Three years later they made the Final again and were on top once more, only to lose 2-1 to Urawa Reds.
This time, with former Lyon and Swansea City striker Bafetimbi Gomis scoring 10 goals on the way to the Final, it felt different. They had
South Korean international Jang
Hyun-soo, Andre Carrillo of Peru and Italy’s Sebastian Giovinco, plus a host of Saudi stars such as Salman Al Faraj, Salem Al Dawsari and Yasser Al Shahrani – all of which made for a solid team that was well led by former Romania national boss Razvan Lucescu.
On their journey to the Final, domestic rivals Al Ahli and Al Ittihad were dispatched in the second round and quarterfinals respectively. Then came a humdinger of a semi-final against Al Sadd of Qatar. The Saudis won 4-1 in Doha but almost threw it away at home, losing 4-2 but taking the tie 6-5 on aggregate.
Over in the east – the tournament is divided into two geographic zones until the Final – Urawa squeezed past Ulsan Hyundai of South Korea and then beat Shanghai
SIPG on away goals. The Reds were too also strong for Fabio Cannavaro’s Guangzhou Evergrande in the semifinals, winning 3-0 on aggregate.
Urawa’s run to the Final may not have been as exciting as Al Hilal’s but it did provide some welcome respite from domestic issues. Champions in 2007 and 2017, they had been struggling in the J.League and were flirting with relegation. It seemed that the players enjoyed the distraction of Asia, with Shinzo Koroki scoring eight goals on the way to a Final where they always looked second best against Al Hilal.
Historically, the team that wins the first leg goes on to win the trophy – as Hilal knew only too well. They attacked from the get-go but were frustrated by poor finishing, heroic goalline clearances and inspired goalkeeping by stand-in Haruki Fukushima. His mistake on the hour, however, allowed Carrillo to head the only goal.
That 1-0 win in Riyadh was highly encouraging, even if it was tinged with
regret that the lead was not bigger due to the numerous chances spurned.
But with Urawa having failed to score in Riyadh, the odds looked long in the return leg, even though they were roared on by 60,000 fans. Rarely threatening the visitors’ goal, Urawa looked short of ideas and once Al Dawsari scored for Hilal with 20 minutes remaining the celebrations started. It was all over long before Gomis added a second on the night in injury time.
While the triumph was greeted with delirium in parts of Riyadh, it was – or at least should have been – also welcomed in the rest of West Asia.
Since 2005 only one team from the west has won the continental championship, Al Sadd from Qatar in 2011, and that win was a fortunate one. This time, Hilal’s win was fully deserved.
With Qatar lifting the Asian Cup in January, West Asia now has the twin titles of club and national team champions for the first time this century.
It would appear that Asian football is undeniably changing.