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Al Ahli in ACL final

Dubai - Kwon scores stoppage-time winner to see off Saudi's Al Hilal

Kwon Kyung Won lashed in a stoppage-time winner to send Al Ahli through to their first-ever Asian Champions League (ACL) final with a 3-2 victory over Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal here on Tuesday night. The Red Knights looked to be crashing out of this continental competition at the penultimate hurdle on the away goals rule once second-half strikes by Ailton Almeida and Carlos Eduardo had cancelled out first-half goals from Rodrigo Lima and Everton Ribeiro.
However, with only a minute of second-half stoppage time remaining on the clock, Hilal failed to clear a Ribeiro set-piece and Kwon fired in with the aid of a handy deflection. Both Lima and Ailton had penalty appeals waved away by Bahraini referee Nawaf Shukrulla in the opening exchanges before Ahli sent the home faithful into raptures with the very next notable attack after 17 minutes.
Habib Fardan released Ahmed Khalil down the left flank and his curling centre skidded on through past a static Saudi rearguard for Lima to turn in the crucial opener at the far post. Khalil then wasted a great chance to double the Red Knights' cushion just three minutes later. Ribeiro played in the UAE international striker and he bore down on stand-in shot-stopper Abdullah Al Sudairy only to drill straight at his sprawling feet.
Ahli coach Cosmin Olaroiu ruffled his hair ruefully as that opening went begging, perhaps inherently knowing that such opportunities needed to be taken against such high-calibre opposition from across the Arabian Gulf.
His men were well in the ascendency though at this particular stage and only a fingertip save from Al Sudairy prevented Lima from making it 2-0 following some characteristically brisk build-up play by Ismail Al Hammadi.
Having looked so bright and positive, Ahli were then served notice of the visitors' incisiveness and potency four minutes shy of the half-time interval. Yasser Al Shahrani broke down the right wing and crossed in for Ailton, who couldn't quite get sufficient purchase on the delivery to redirect it into the gaping goal in front of him.
He - and Hilal - were made to pay for such profligacy too just prior to the break as Al Hammadi played in Ribeiro to dink home and double Ahli's buffer in the tie.
Needing two goals to restore parity and progress on away goals, Hilal boss Giorgos Donis brought on the livewire presence of Nasser Al Shamrani and his introduction made an immediate impact; first-half substitute Mohammed Al Shalhoub stinging Ahmed 'Dida' Mahmoud's gloves with a crisp effort.
There was little Mahmoud could do moments later as Hilal halved the deficit. Saud Kariri neatly flicked Eduardo's pass into the path of Ailton, who spun round to clinically convert into the bottom corner. Ahli subsequently received a major let-off when Fardan appeared to bring down Eduardo inside the area, yet Shukrulla instead awarded a free-kick in their favour for apparent shirt-pulling.
Eduardo exacted sweet revenge nevertheless thereafter, rasping in an unstoppable finish from distance that seemed set to send his team on their way to a second successive ACL final until Kwon's belated intervention. Ahli will now go on to play either China's Guangzhou Evergrande or Gamba Osaka, of Japan, over a two-legged final next month.
The return encounter of the second semi-final is set to take place this afternoon (Wednesday, Kick-off: 2pm UAE time) at the Expo '70 Stadium in Osaka, where Guangzhou will be aiming to consolidate a 2-1 lead from the initial outing.
alex@khaleejtimes.com