Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Coach Cosmin Olaroiu has targeted a clean sheet in Saturday’s AFC Champions League final first leg at home to China’s Guangzhou Evergrande as knockout stage debutants Al Ahli from the United Arab Emirates look to continue their historic continental campaign.
Prior to this year, 2014 Arabian Gulf League champions Al Ahli had failed to progress beyond the group stage on four previous occasions in 2005, 2009, 2010 and 2014.
But this year under Romanian Olaroiu, having only narrowly missed out on progression from the group stage by a point last year, Al Ahli are just two games away from joining compatriots Al Ain as winners of the AFC Champions League following a seven-game unbeaten streak in the competition that includes victories over the 2003 winners as well as Iran’s Naft Tehran and Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal in the knockout stage.
“We feel good because we have to play a game that everyone wants to play in. When you are young and start to play football, everyone dreams to be in the final of the Champions League or the World Cup or the Asian or European cup, and being in the final of the Champions League is the dream of everyone and you have to enjoy it,” said 46-year-old Olaroiu, who joined Al Ahli in 2013.
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“It is easier to play a final in one game, in two games it is more difficult as it looks like a qualification game and that is why we have the previous experience with the home games. The most important thing for me in this type of game is not to concede a goal at home; this will make a lot of complications.
“But in the same way, we are looking forward to winning the game and doing as much as we can not to concede too many.”
And while Al Ahli’s chances of taking an advantage to Guangzhou for the decisive second leg on November 21 are helped by in-form strike duo Ahmed Khalil and Brazilian Rodrigo Lima, the five-time Chinese Super League champions boast an impressive forward line of their own which includes AFC Champions League leading scorer Ricardo Goulart, Brazilian compatriot Elkeson and China’s Gao Lin.
Al Ahli captain Khalil is the joint second highest scorer in the AFC Champions League this season with six goals, two behind Goulart, while Lima has scored four goals in four continental outings including in both legs of the thrilling semi-final against Al Hilal.
But Al Ahli are helped by the suspension of Guangzhou’s Korea Republic international centre-back Kim Young-gwon for the first leg at Rashid Stadium.
“I have confidence in all my team and all my players, and also Guangzhou have good players and have three strikers with Gao Lin, Goulart and Elkeson and they are very good,” added former Al Ain and Al Hilal coach Olaroiu.
“It is important to play a good game and for everyone to enjoy and for everyone to look forward to the AFC Champions League final.”
Al Ahli will be looking to avoid the fate of Al Ain, who after beating Thailand’s BEC Tero Sasana 2-1 on aggregate in the 2003 final to become the first side from the UAE to win a continental title, lost the 2005 final 5-3 on aggregate to Saudi Arabia’s Al Ittihad.
“We don’t have any pressure; we are just enjoying being here. When we started our target was to pass the group for the first time in the history of the club,” said added Olaroiu, who also coached Saudi Arabia at the AFC Asian Cup earlier this year.
“Then we fixed the target of getting past Al Ain and into the quarter-final, and then the semi-final, and now we are here and hope to win the trophy.”
Photo: WSG