Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Muscat: Al Hilal coach Ramon Diaz revealed the prospect of reaching the AFC Champions League final undefeated served as an added motivation for his players as they came from behind twice to snatch a 2-2 draw on the night, securing a 6-2 aggregate win against Persepolis in the semi-final.
Following a 4-0 victory in the first leg, complacency was Al Hilal’s greatest worry and a Persepolis goal after 16 minutes rang the alarm bells louder, but Diaz’s men responded well to grab an equaliser and calm the nerves of the Saudi fans present at Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex.
“This was a game where we needed to play intelligently and we did what was required to reach the final,” said the Argentine, elaborating on his approach to the game.
“Persepolis are a very good team and they came into the match fired up, we worked to absorb their enthusiasm especially after they scored.
“Reaching the final unbeaten gave us that extra motivation we needed. Despite being 4-0 up from the first leg, we played positively and had chances. We could have won this game."
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