A bit of belief can work wonders. This is a maxim Al Ahli must follow when the battle for AFC Champions League glory with Guangzhou Evergrande resumes on November 21.
The Red Knights were not valiant in a goalless first leg of the final last night in Dubai. Caution and self-doubt appeared more often.
The fear of gifting an advantage to the 2013 winners and five-time reigning Chinese Super League-holders restricted the electric attacking play which has brought Ahli to a historic-first appearance in the decider of the continent’s premier club competition.
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Boss Cosmin Olaroiu had asked for “Spartans” and “fighters” on Friday, but his words were not heeded.
Such constraint did not appear when UAE forward Ahmed Khalil’s brace of last-gasp headers in the last Group D match against Tractor Sazi ended a run of five exits in the opening stage.
There was certainly no holding them back when a three-goal, five-minute salvo saw them dump out Al Ain in the round of 16 or when a brilliant two-legged semi-final performance against Saudi Arabian heavyweights Al
Hilal saw the unlikely figure of Kwon Kyung-won step up with a decisive 94th-minute winner.
Attacking talent rather than defensive control is the hallmark of the Romanian’s team. It has seen them release the shackles of last term’s dismal Arabian Gulf League title defence, a 100-per-cent winning start containing an imposing 18 goals in five matches.
Yet, a collective which contains Brazil playmaker Everton Ribeiro, lethal compatriot Lima and joint-second highest 2015 ACL top scorer Khalil produced precious little.
Only winger Ismail Al Hammadi’s powerful first-half rocket after a typically-driving run made China goalkeeper Zeng Cheng sweat.
Ahli had little to fear from anonymous ACL leading marksman Ricardo Goulart and probably even less now after the forward was stretchered off with a painful ankle injury on 59 minutes.
Highly-rated forward Elkeson barely registered a shot and only China winger Huang Bowen’s 46th-minue thunderbolt which rattled the crossbar caused any real concern.
The Southern China Tigers are experiencing a 22-match unbeaten run since Brazil’s World Cup winning coach Luiz Felipe Scolari took the reins in June. In typical fashion – the 7-1, 2014 World Cup-thrashing of Brazil by Germany aside – the 66-year-old has made his charges tougher to beat rather than imbuing them with elan.
The defensive-midfield axis of Paulinho and veteran China captain Zheng Zhi are this side’s major strong point, along with South
Korea centre-back Kim Young-gwon who will return from suspension for the return tie at Tianhe Stadium. But Ahli must believe they have the attacking power to break through this wall. Such faith is based on fact, rather than fiction.
Boost for #AlAhliUAE for 2nd leg as @GZEvergrandeFC danger man #Goulart limps away @Sport360 https://t.co/FguOWdPZoM
— Matt Monaghan (@mattmonaghan360) November 7, 2015
Lima’s 12-match scoring run since his summer switch from Benfica ended with a whimper last night, the striker having nothing but a marginally-over hit Ribeiro free-kick in the final quarter to feed on.
This Brazilian double act were uncharacteristically quiet, yet this had as much to do with an underwhelming performance as the diligent display from Zhi and Paulinho.
Ahli have defied painful memories of the past to make it through the group and onto the final. Only self belief is holding them back from writing another glorious page in their history books.
