Advantage Wanderers in ACL final
Print Edition
AUSTRALIA’S Western Sydney Wanderers beat Saudi Arabia’s al-Hilal 1-0 to seize the early advantage in the two-leg AFC Champions League final in Sydney yesterday.
Substitute striker Tomi Juric’s 64th-minute goal gave the Wanderers a precious lead to take into the second leg in Riyadh next week.
Juric, who had a dynamic effect coming off the bench in the second half, almost gave the Wanderers a two-goal cushion but his shot came off the post with goalkeeper Abdullah al-Sudairy well beaten.
“It’s definitely a big help for us going there in those kind of conditions and we have to perform well over there to finish the job off because it’s only half done at the moment,” Juric said.
Wanderers, in only their third season, are bidding to become the first Australian side to win the Asian showpiece after Adelaide United lost to Japan’s Gamba Osaka in the 2008 final.
The expensively-assembled al-Hilal dominated the opening half, with Nasser al-Shamrani going close to breaking the deadlock in stoppage time.
But the match turned with the introduction of Juric, who scored seven minutes after coming on for Brendan Santalab.
Defender Antony Golec’s teasing cross from the left was met by Australia striker Juric whose shot went through the legs of al-Sudairy into the net amid wild scenes from the 20,000 full house at Sydney’s Parramatta Stadium.
Al-Hilal was feeling the pressure and Juric almost made it pay when his volley came back off the left post with the goalkeeper sprawled on the ground.
The Saudis had a couple of late chances to score a crucial away goal but goalkeeper Ante Covic made a point blank save to deny Salem al-Dosary and then made a diving save to prevent Yasser al-Shahrani from scoring moments later. “We played a very good game. We had a lot of chances, but we lost 1-0,” al-Hilal’s Romanian coach Laurentiu Reghecampf said.
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