Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
With Al Ahli of the United Arab Emirates qualifying for this year’s AFC Champions League final alongside China’s Guangzhou Evergrande, thoughts of Al Ain’s success in the inaugural edition of the revamped continental competition in 2003 spring to mind.
The return of the AFC Champions League final to the Emirates is also tinged with a certain sadness after Attaphol Buspakom, who guided Thailand’s BEC Tero Sasana to the final, sadly passed away in April aged 52.
The arrival of the AFC Champions League had seen the merging of the Asian Club Championship, the Asian Cup Winners’ Cup and the Asian Super Cup into a consolidated competition to determine the outright number one side on the continent.
And eventually, come March 2003, four qualifiers advanced to make up the 16-team group stage.
Thailand’s BEC had earned automatic qualification for the group stage having won the 2002 Thai League title, although by the time the tournament started they had a new man at the helm.
BEC were drawn to face Korea Republic’s Taejon Citizen, China’s Shanghai Shenhua and Japan’s Kashima Antlers, with all the games being played in Bangkok in March.
“It was the first time BEC Tero Sasana had played in a tournament like this and our goal was just to advance to the next round as we were not a big team compared to the other teams,” said then BEC coach Attaphol in an interview in September 2013.
“The teams playing in the AFC Champions League were much bigger and much stronger. But we had a big advantage playing at home as we had a lot of supporters.”
BEC made full use of home advantage as they began with a 2-2 draw against Kashima and, after beating Taejon 2-0, advanced to the semi-finals as group winners with a 2-1 win over Shanghai.
“We had to play three games in five days, which was hard, but fortunately we were able to play at home and we did not have to travel and get used to a new surroundings,” added Attaphol.
“We knew we were weaker than our opponents as we were new to the competition, but we always tried to play as a team.”
With China’s Dalian Shide, Al Ain and Uzbekistan’s Pakhtakor winning their respective groups, BEC were drawn to face the Central Asians for a place in the final.
BEC won the first leg 3-1 at home, and Attaphol’s side survived to advance 3-2 on aggregate after losing by just a single late goal in the return fixture.
Al Ain, meanwhile, had won their group on home soil ahead of Qatar’s Al Sadd, Iran’s Esteghlal and Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal with a 100% record to earn their meeting with Dalian.
Iran international Farhad Majidi was playing in the UAE at the time with Al Wasl, but was drafted into the Al Ain squad by then coach Bruno Metsu for the semi-final.
“While I was playing in the UAE I watched their games in the group stage and also we had a 10 day training camp in Saudi Arabia before we played Dalian,” said Majidi.
“I signed a three month contract and I did not believe Al Ain could become champions, but it turned out to be one of the best times in my footballing life.”
With Majidi in their ranks, Al Ain won the first leg 4-2 at home in April before taking a 2-1 lead in the second leg in China, which had been delayed until August.
“After the first game all the players thought this game was finished. Then in the next game against Dalian we scored another goal,” added Majidi.
“We were winning 2-1 and Metsu called me to play and I went on the pitch and they scored three goals against us. I was crying.
“I came onto the field and it was 2-1, now it is 4-2 and then we had a player sent-off with 70,000 people in the stadium. I wanted to cry, but our Brazilian player gave me a pass and I was able to score a goal to make the score 4-3 so we could go to the final.”
Al Ain advanced 7-6 on aggregate, and Metsu’s side would welcome BEC to Tahnoun Bin Mohammed Stadium for the first leg at the start of October.
Worawut Srimaka’s first half header almost handed BEC the lead in Al Ain only for the ball to come back off the crossbar and the home side would take advantage as a long range strike from Salem Jowhar opened the scoring five minutes before half-time.
After BEC’s Wittaya Nubthong was sent-off just after the hour mark, Mohammed Omar added a crucial second for Al Ain with 15 minutes remaining.
“We looked to play an attacking game as we felt we had nothing to lose as we were playing away. But unfortunately they were able to score in the first half and that made it difficult for us, also our defenders did not play well,” said Attaphol.
“Our target was to at least equalise or lose by just a single goal, but our plan changed when our player was sent-off and we just focused on trying to not conceding any more goals.”
Just over a week later in Bangkok, BEC looked for an early breakthrough with Therdsak Chaiman twice going close after Al Ain had earlier hit the post.
But on the hour mark BEC were finally rewarded as Datsakorn Thonglao was fouled just inside the area and Therdsak made no mistake with an accomplished penalty.
BEC then thought they had levelled the tie as Peeratat Phoruandee headed home Therdsak’s corner only for referee Mane Saad Kamil to cut short the home side’s celebrations, ruling out the goal.
“We were surprised, they played very well in the first leg,” said Majidi. “And they killed us in the second leg and they had a goal disallowed.”
Al Ain would eventually hold on to claim a 2-1 aggregate victory to become the first side from the UAE to win a continental title.
“Our tactics in the second game were focused on attacking as we needed to score a goal. We wanted to put pressure on our opponents and play an entertaining game. We had reached that far in the tournament so we had nothing to lose. We just wanted to win that game even if we did lose the tournament,” added Attaphol.
“I don’t know why the goal was disallowed; the referee said there was a foul. I asked him after the game and he said there was pushing, but I was not sure.
“Overall, this tournament was incredible as a team from Thailand was able to reach the final. BEC made history in Thai football to reach this stage of the tournament.”
The success continued a run of high-profile wins for French coach Metsu, who guided an unheralded Senegal to the quarter-finals of the 2002 FIFA World Cup after the African side beat holders France on the opening day of the tournament.
But having steered Qatar to the quarter-finals of the AFC Asian Cup in 2011 Metsu died in October 2013 aged 59 having earlier stepped down as coach of Al Wasl in the UAE at the end of 2012.
“Metsu is one of the best coaches I have worked with and he was one of the main reasons for Al Ain’s success,” said Iranian striker Majidi, who played under Metsu for just four games during the knockout stages of the 2003 AFC Champions League after joining Al Ain on a short-term deal.
“He helped me a lot and helped me connect with my team-mates.”
Since then, Buriram United’s run to the quarter-finals in 2013 is the closest a Thai team has come to returning to the final, while Al Ahli will look to avoid the fate of Al Ain who lost 5-3 on aggregate to Saudi Arabia’s Al Ittihad in the 2005 final.
Photo: AFP