Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Parramatta: Western Sydney Wanderers coach Tony Popovic paid tribute to returning striker Tomi Juric after the forward come off the bench to net the only goal of the first leg of the AFC Champions League final win over Al Hilal on Saturday.
Juric started the game on the bench after a lengthy absence due to a groin injury but scored six minutes after coming on in the 58th minute to give Western Sydney a narrow advantage ahead of next week’s second leg in Riyadh.
The 23-year-old almost made it 2-0 to the home side when, in the 72nd minute, he hit Al Hilal goalkeeper Abdullah Al Sdairy’s right post as the Saudi side’s defence backed off.
“His impact was fantastic,” said the former Australian international defender. “It’s been seven weeks since he played. Mathew (Spiranovic) hasn’t played since June.
“It’s a nice welcome to have a few players come on and make an impact. Tomi scored a fantastic goal, it was a great overlap and a real striker’s finish. It’s just a shame he didn’t get that second one.
“In any game in the world that was a great goal and I’m very proud of him.”
Juric’s goal came against the run of play after two-time champions Al Hilal had dominated the preceding hour’s action, only to struggle to make an impact in the final third of the field.
“It was a real battle,” said Popovic. “They’re a very good side, we can’t doubt that but we showed we’re a good side as well, getting that goal and having a few chances to go 2-0 up. That would have been the icing on the cake. We had to be very resolute against a very good team and this has given us a chance to win the final.”
The second leg will be played in front of an anticipated capacity crowd of 65,000 at Riyadh’s King Fahd Stadium, but the Western Sydney coach has no concern over the welcome that awaits his side in Saudi Arabia next Saturday.
“We’re looking forward to another tough game and a big crowd,” he said. “The stadium will be full, supporting their team and we expect that. But we have played tough matches and we have a lot of experience from playing against Guangzhou and Seoul and we can draw on that experience.
“You always want to win the home leg, the first leg, if it’s possible. Had we got a result we have shown we can score away from home and this result has filled us with confidence. We have to recover well and we’re in for a tough battle next week, but they’re going home tonight knowing they’re up against a very tough opponent who can win the title over there.”