SAITAMA, Japan: Salem Al-Dawsari and Bafetimbi Gomis were the heroes as Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal beat Urawa Red Diamonds 2-0 on Sunday and 3-0 on aggregate to claim a record-equaling third Asian club title in the AFC Champions League.
Al-Dawsari scored with 16 minutes left and top-scorer Gomis grabbed his 11th of the competition in injury time as the Saudi giants ended a 19-year wait for their third continental trophy, joining South Korea’s Pohang Steelers as the only three-time Asian champions.
Al-Hilal, beaten by Japan’s Urawa in the 2017 final, also became the competition’s first West Asian winners since Qatar’s Al-Sadd in 2011, torpedoing a run of victories by clubs from Japan, South Korea, China and Australia.
Al-Hilal had the better of the opening half as they looked to build on their 1-0 win in the first leg, when Andre Carrillo scored the only goal.
Both goalkeepers were forced into action early on, but it was Urawa’s Takahiro Sekine who had the best chance of the half when his point-blank volley was scrambled away by Hilal custodian Abdullah Al-Mayoof.
After the break tournament top-scorer Gomis, with 10 goals en route to the final, drew a reaction save from Shuzaku Nishikawa when he connected with a menacing cross at the near post.
Gomis found Nishikawa in his path once again when he chested down Sebastian Giovinco’s cross and side-footed his volley straight at the Urawa goalkeeper.
However, they were ominous signs for the hosts and Al-Hilal finally prised open the Urawa defense with a sweeping move on 74 minutes.
Man-of-the-match Giovinco provided the final ball for Salem who gratefully prodded home the winner after a sequence of passes that caught out the backpedaling Urawa defenders.
Gomis came within inches of connecting with a diving header in the dying moments, but the towering forward was not to be denied later as he smashed in Al-Hilal’s second in the third minute of injury time.
The Saudi giants have endured a continental trophy drought since 2000 when they won the tournament for the second time, the first being in 1991 when it was called the Asian Club Championship.
They came close in 2014 and 2017 when they reached the final, only to be beaten by Western Sydney Wanderers and Urawa respectively.
Saudi giants Al-Hilal clinch record-equalling Asian title
Saudi giants Al-Hilal clinch record-equalling Asian title
- Al-Hilal beat Urawa Red Diamonds 2-0 on Sunday and 3-0 on aggregate to claim a record-equaling third Asian club title in the AFC Champions League
Man United’s Jim Ratcliffe reminded of his responsibilities but no FA charge for ‘colonized’ claim
- Football Association will not be charging Ratcliffe over his comments
- Ratcliffe’s comments touched a nerve in Britain, where immigration is a divisive issue
MANCHESTER: Manchester United co-owner Jim Ratcliffe has been reminded of his “responsibilities as a participant in English football” after he triggered a storm of criticism for claiming Britain had been “colonized” by immigrants.
But England’s Football Association will not be charging Ratcliffe over his comments, which were widely condemned by political figures, including British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and the club’s supporters.
The governing body issued Ratcliffe with a reminder of his responsibilities when taking part in media interviews, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press on Friday. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
British billionaire Ratcliffe, who owns petrochemicals giant INEOS, made the comments during an interview with Sky News, which aired last week.
“You can’t have an economy with 9 million people on benefits and huge levels of immigrants coming in,” he said. “I mean, the UK’s been colonized.”
Ratcliffe’s comments touched a nerve in Britain, where immigration is a divisive issue. He later said he was sorry his choice of language had “offended some people.”
Starmer had earlier called for him to apologize, saying “Britain is a proud, tolerant and diverse country.”
United fans, who are proud of the diversity within the team and their supporter base, also condemned his words.
The Manchester United Supporters Trust said the “senior leadership should make inclusion easier, not harder.”
Critics accused Ratcliffe of “hypocrisy,” saying he has chosen to make his home in Monaco to reduce his UK tax bill.
Carrick proud of Man United’s culture
United’s head coach, Michael Carrick, said earlier Friday that the Premier League club was proud of their culture of equality and diversity.
Carrick, who was recently hired as coach until the end of the season, faced the media for the first time since Ratcliffe’s remarks and he was asked for his response.
“Sir Jim has made a statement, and then the club’s made a statement on the back of it so for me to add to that is not my place,” he said. “What I can say is, as I’ve been around this club many, many years, we always make a huge impact globally.
“We’re really proud of the environment and the culture that we’ve got at the club, and equality and diversity and respect for each other is something that we look to carry through every day.”
