Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Tokyo: The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa is confident the second leg of the AFC Champions League final between Japan's Urawa Red Diamonds and Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal will showcase Asian football at its best.
The AFC President, who arrived in the Japanese capital of Tokyo on Thursday for the final, said he hoped the second leg of this season's decider will meet the expectations of the Continent's football fans and further emphasise the continous development of the game in Asia.
The final, tied 1-1 after last week's first leg in Riyadh, will be played before a sell-out crowd at the Saitama 2002 Stadium on Saturday.
"Urawa Reds and Al Hilal deserved to reach the final after the great performances they showed in this year's edition, which proved the strength of Asian club football. I am confident both teams will produce high level performances in the final," said the AFC President.
"Regardless of who wins, we can look forward to a high quality final and fair play, just like we saw in the first leg in Riyadh."
Shaikh Salman added that the AFC has completed all preparations for the final, hailing the efforts of the Japan Football Association and Urawa Red Diamonds for working with the AFC to make the event a huge success.
"I wish both teams the best of luck," said Shaikh Salman.
Photo: AFC