Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Riyadh: Cosmin Olaroiu knows his team have a tough challenge ahead in the second leg of the AFC Champions League semi-final despite picking up an away goal in their 1-1 draw with Al Hilal at the King Fahd International Stadium on Tuesday.
The club from the United Arab Emirates hold a slender advantage going into the second leg next month thanks to Lima’s 57th minute header as the Brazilian striker claimed his third goal in three AFC Champions League games since joining the Dubai-based club from Benfica in the summer.
ACL SF 1st Leg: Al Hilal 1-1 Al Ahli
“We will not go into the second leg thinking of a draw because we could lose especially because we are playing against a strong team like Al Hilal,” said the Romanian (pictured).
“The fans of Al Hilal put on a great atmosphere and we are glad that we got away with a draw from the match tonight.”
Al Ahli are aiming to become the first club from the UAE to reach the final since Al Ain in 2005 – when they lost to Al Ittihad of Saudi Arabia – and, after a tight first half, the Emiratis took the lead when Lima connected with Everton Ribeiro’s corner from the right.
Al Hilal had the chance to level 10 minutes later from the penalty spot when Carlos Eduardo was given the opportunity to score after Salmin Khamis picked the ball up in the penalty area having thought it had crossed the line and gone out of play.
However, Carlos Eduardo’s penalty clipped the outside of the post before bouncing clear, but the home side were given a reprieve in the 82nd minute when Ailton rose to head in the Brazilian’s corner and set up a fascinating second leg in Dubai in three weeks’ time.
“We knew the match would not be easy and Al Hilal are a big team and we struggled to control all of the proceedings,” said Olaroiu. “We managed to put some pressure on our opponents and we shared possession with them.
“The result is positive, but it is not enough to qualify as we must start working and preparing for the second leg. We hope that we can take advantage of playing the second match at home in order to qualify to the final.”
Photo: WSG