Al Hilal, Guangzhou into AFC Champions League semi-finals

Former winners see off Lekhwiya, Kashiwa respectively after second-leg draws

Doha: Former champions Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia and Guangzhou Evergrande eased into the AFC Champions League semi-finals despite tough and bad-tempered draws on Wednesday. While Luiz Felipe Scolari’s Guangzhou Evergrande advanced with a 4-2 aggregate win after a 1-1 draw against Japan’s Kashiwa Reysol, Al Hilal made the last four with a 6-3 total after they were held 2-2 by Qatari champions Lekhwiya in Doha.

Lekhwiya faced an uphill battle after their 4-1 away thrashing in the first leg and, although they managed to hold their own on Tuesday against the 1991 and 2000 champions, the goal difference proved too much for them to overcome.

Carlos Eduardo put Al Hilal ahead in the 25th minute from an assist by Salim Al Dawsari but, despite a goal each from Lekhwiya’s Esmail Mohammad and Chico Flores, an 87th-minute strike from Digao ensured a draw for the Saudi side.

With several hundred Al Hilal fans driving across the border to watch the match, passions were high and they spilt on to the ground with rough tackles being the norm and fights breaking out between players.

Earlier, Huang Bowen’s sumptuous first-half equaliser provided a rare moment of quality at Tianhe Stadium in Guangzhou, with the second period more notable for robust challenges and yellow cards.

Chelsea-linked defender Zhang Linpeng was lucky to stay on the pitch after he went in two-footed on Ryosuke Yamanaka, and Feng Xiaoting and Kim Young-gwon also saw yellow.

Scolari, who arrived in June, will be keen to secure the wealthy Chinese club’s second Asian title just a year after his World Cup flop on home soil with his native Brazil.

The no-nonsense coach earned a reputation for his uncompromising style after a series of pitchside bust-ups while coaching league football in his home country.

It showed a different side to Guangzhou, usually better known for the sort of free-flowing attack that earned them a 3-1 win in Kashiwa in last month’s first leg.

The Japanese side walked out at Guangzhou’s Tianhe Stadium with much ground to make up, but they got a lifeline on 12 minutes when Cristiano nodded them in front. The Brazilian forward climbed in the penalty box to meet a free-kick from close to the right touchline, and planted an unstoppable header into the far corner.

With the aggregate score at 3-2, the early goal stung the Chinese league leaders, but Huang restored their cushion with a beautiful half-volley on the half-hour. Receiving the ball on the edge of the box, the Chinese international swept it home left-footed with a shot that rocketed into the top corner.

But, despite a team peppered with Brazilian talent, that was to be the only goal for Guangzhou, who now play either Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors or Gamba Osaka in the two-legged semis.

Al Ahli taking nothing for granted as Naft Tehran visit

Red knights go in with 1-0 lead against Iranian outfit in quarter-final second leg of AFC Champions League

Image Credit: Arshad Ali/Gulf News

Al Ahli coach Cosmin Olariou speaks accompanied by Habib Al Fardan (extreme left) during the press conference.

Dubai: Al Ahli are taking nothing for granted as they line up against Naft Tehran in their home quarter-final of the AFC Champions League in Dubai on Wednesday.

Bidding to become the second UAE club to win the continental competition after Al Ain claimed the AFC Champions League in its inaugural year in 2003, Al Ahli have a slender advantage following their 1-0 away win in Tehran last month.

After that positive result, the Red Knights further strengthened their squad bringing in Senegal’s Mousa Sow from Turkish side Fenerbahce for a record reported fee of €17 million (Dh70.71 million). In addition, the Al Ahli line-up boasts the likes of Brazilians Everton Ribeiro and former Benfica star Rodrigo Lima, who scored the match-winner against Naft in the 62nd minute.

“We can’t afford to think about the result of the last game. This is a brand-new game and we need to start from 0-0. We saw in our first game that Naft is a strong team with experienced players and so we need to play for a win as 1-0 is a very difficult result,” Al Ahli coach Cosmin Olaroiu told media in Dubai on Tuesday.

“I hope we find the right motivation and determination while keeping our concentration intact throughout the 90 minutes. This factor will be most important. And I also hope to have some support from our fans as this won’t be an easy match. I actually expect this to be more difficult than the first game, and I hope we can come up with a big performance in the history of this club,” he added.

“It’s a tough game tomorrow and we have 90 minutes to create history of our own. The players have the responsibility to live up to the expectations of millions from the UAE and I am confident they will rise to the challenge.”

Naft coach Ali Reza Mansourian did not appear fazed by the task at hand despite going in with a one-goal deficit or the fact that Al Ahli have been on a winning run in their domestic matches.

“Of course, we are ready for tomorrow, both psychologically and mentally. We have exactly 50 per cent chances to qualify. We will have a surprise ready for Al Ahli as this is our last chance even though we are playing Al Ahli on their home ground,” Mansourian told media.

“But we know we are not alone here as we have our fans in the UAE who will come and back us in this task. One thing is for sure, whoever wins this match tomorrow can go on to be the champions,” the former Iranian playmaker added.

Mansourian predicted a bright future for Al Ahli. “First, there was Al Ain and now I can see Al Ahli joining them among the strong teams here. I am aware that Al Ahli is good and strong, but tomorrow is our final chance and we need to take it,” he said.

Sharjah maintain winning run

Secure smooth win over Al Ahli in Dubai international meet

Dubai: Sharjah Club continued their winning form on the second day of the inaugural Dubai International Junior Basketball Tournament being held at the American University in Dubai (AUD).

On Tuesday night, they put in a much improved performance to power their way to a 62-40 win over Al Ahli. After having opened their tournament with a narrow 45-43 last-gasp win against Al Nasr on the opening day, Sharjah looked a determined lot as they were efficient in working out on the flanks with Mahmoud Wasim and Abdullah Yaqoub doing all the hard work.

As usual, Sultan Mohammad played his role as play-maker to near perfection as the visitors kept the scoreboard moving.

“Today, we had a plan and we followed it throughout the match,” Sharjah coach Abdul Rahman Al Shamsi told Gulf News. “Two wins out of two gives us a lot of confidence and self-belief and now we must know that we have a much tougher battle on hand against one of the best European teams [Barcelona]. We have watched them play two games now and once again, we will devise a plan to counter their strength,” the coach promised.

Joining Sharjah in the all-win column was Al Riyadi, Jordan with a close 40-38 win over Al Shabab, while Partizan, Belgrade thrashed Al Wasl 89-37 and Barcelona got the better of a fighting Al Nasr 57-43.

Held under the auspices of the Dubai Sports Council, entry to watch matches at the AUD premises is absolutely free.