On Saturday, Al-Hilal lost the Asian Champions League final for the third time in a decade. The record books will show that Urawa Reds won the second leg 1-0 to take the tie 2-1 on aggregate but what won’t be as clear was that — just as in 2014 against Western Sydney Wanderers and three years later against the same Japanese opposition — the Riyadh giants could have been the ones lifting the trophy.
Such is football and the Saudi champions have four continental titles, still more than anyone else. But this was a case of what might have been for the title-holders.
What would have happened if, with Al-Hilal comfortably leading 1-0 at home last week, Ali Al-Bulaihi’s attempted clearance in the first leg had not somehow ended up hitting the post, allowing Shinzo Koroki to score a goal that came out of nothing? What would have happened had Salem Al-Dawsari, scorer of the opening goal, not seen red later in the game leaving him out of the second leg? What would have happened had Ramon Diaz’s men simply made more use of their prodigious possession in both games?
If the 1-1 draw from the first leg had been frustrating it was also costly, with Al-Dawsari absent and captain Salman Al-Faraj injured for the second leg. Full-back Yasser Al-Shahrani was also unavailable which meant that Diaz had to ring the changes. He brought in experienced midfielder Abdullah Al-Otayf, young forward Abdullah Al-Hamdan and Peruvian winger Andre Carrillo.
The visitors had the first sight of goal and were claiming a penalty in the fourth minute. Al-Hamdan and Urawa goalkeeper Shusaku Nishikawa both went down going for the ball and Odion Ighalo had a subsequent shot cleared off the line.
The opening stages continued in a similar vein as the Saudi Arabian champions asked questions of the hosts and quietened the crowd. After 21 minutes, Michael dribbled along the edge of the area and forced a flying save from Nishikawa.
It was a reflection of the first leg in which Al-Hilal had the possession and chances but were unable to make them count, which meant Urawa were always just seconds away from scoring against the run of play. And that is what very nearly happened on the half-hour mark. Hiroki Sakai waltzed down the right and sent over a perfect cross for Koroki, the goalscorer in Riyadh last week, to launch a spectacular flying volley against the crossbar.
Soon after, Mohamed Kanno was shooting just over from inside the area at the end of a passage of play in which Ighalo got round the goalkeeper but, surrounded by defenders, could not get a shot off. That wasn’t a problem for Carrillo, who collected the ball far from goal but fired a shot that was curling into the top corner before Nishikawa, the busier of the two goalkeepers, flew to his right to make the save.
For the second successive Saturday, Al-Hilal went in at half-time with a possession percentage that was into the seventies, but there were concerns that not enough clear chances were not being created. And compared to the previous leg, Urawa carried a threat on the counter.
The Reds took the lead just three minutes after the restart with a soft goal. Marius Hoibraten headed a free-kick back across goal and the wind seemed to take it the ball out of the reach of Abdullah Al-Mayouf and it bounced off the leg of Carrillo and into the net.
It lifted the fans and gave new energy into the Japanese team. Al-Hilal continued to push forward but still struggled to make meaningful opportunities. Urawa went close on a couple of occasions but with 10 minutes remaining, a cross from Michael on the left curled all the way past the Red defense and almost into the far corner. It signaled the start of intense pressure from the Blues, with balls flying into the area.
And then there was the chance in the 90th minute. Ighalo, who was unable to make an impact in either leg of the final, made a little space inside the area, turning three defenders the wrong way before getting off a low shot. Nishikawa was equal to the challenge. Indeed, Urawa’s defense had been equal to all that Al-Hilal could throw at them and it was the Japanese team’s defense, as well as Al-Hilal’s missing players, that ultimately made the difference.
Al-Hilal now return home with no trophy but with plenty of regret. They have shown after past painful final defeats, however, that they have what it takes to bounce back and lift the trophy again. They will be desperate to return to the final, though they may prefer to avoid Urawa Reds next time.
