It remains all to play for in the 2015 AFC Champions League final after Al Ahli and Guangzhou Evergrande played out a tight goalless draw on Saturday night.
The Red Knights will depart for the Far East without the comfort of an advantage from the first leg, yet they will know they can stand toe-to-toe with the 2013 winners and not crack.
A tense match of few chances was played out at Rashid Stadium, Guangzhou going closest straight after the restart when winger Huang Bowen rattled the crossbar.
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Not even a reckless late red card from Red Knights full-back Abdelaziz Haikal could cause true damage to the club’s historic pursuit of a first ACL title when the fight resumes on November 21.
Redoubtable Ahli boss Cosmin Olaroiu had demanded to see “fighters” and “Spartans” in pre-match press conference, the banners in the packed Rashid Stadium-stands exalting “Asia Knights” as the players emerged into an electric atmosphere.
But it was Guangzhou who started with the purpose and confidence expected of a side led by Brazil’s 2002 World Cup-winning coach Luiz Felipe Scolari. A solid base was set in the midfield by China captain Zheng Zhi and ex-Tottenham Hotspur battler Paulinho from which they repeatedly sprung.
The latter brought the 900-strong travelling support to their feet on 18 minutes, falsely celebrating a goal when his low effort skimmed narrowly wide into the side-netting.
His defensive-midfield partner soon got in on the act in spectacular fashion. Ahli’s then-shaking defence only half-cleared a corner, a thunderous volley from the edge of the box by the 35-year-old being tipped majestically over by Ahmed Dida.
— النـــادي الاهــــلي (@AlAhliClub) November 7, 2015
A valuable away goal seemed a matter of time at that stage, the drawl of the Rashid crowd becoming more frantic.
Their nerves have been strained throughout this first run into the knockout stages of Asia’s premier club competition. A last-gasp double from UAE forward Ahmed Khalil in the final Group D-fixture was required to make the round of 16 at the sixth attempt, Kwon Kyung-won’s 94th-minute winner famously seeing off Al Hilal in the semi-finals.
As they have done throughout this epic campaign, from adversity they found strength. Boss Cosmin Olaroiu – in typical fashion – took on the role of general, making sure his pre-match battle cry was fulfilled.
UAE winger Ismail Al Hammadi provided the spark. An incisive pass from the otherwise quiet Everton Ribeiro set him racing clear on the counter-attack, skinning reported Real Madrid and Chelsea target Zheng Linpeng before his 20-yard rocket was repelled by China No1 Zeng Cheng.
Still, a solid first-leg result seemed anything but assured.
The hearts of the Red Knights-faithful were jolted seconds after the restart, lively China wide man Bowen inches away from a third goal in the 2015 knockout rounds as his right-footed thunderbolt from just inside the penalty box rattled the crossbar with Ahmed Dida well beaten.
These were now rare forays forward from the Southern China Tigers, who lifted a fifth-consecutive Chinese Super League-title last weekend. Their quest wasn’t helped by another anonymous showing from eight-goal 2015 ACL top scorer Ricardo Goulart, the former Cruzeiro team-mate of Ribeiro who has not struck in the competition since the round of 16.
Ahli were now retaining possession better, yet the tactics from veteran Scolari were expertly constricting them.
A sloppily-defended throw-in nearly forced a breakthrough for the 66-year-old’s men, substitute Yu Hanchao’s falling volley being tipped to safety by the solid Dida.
Guangzhou were doing more with less, the host’s red-hot striker Lima having to wait until the 77th minute when a devilish Ribeiro free-kick narrowly evaded him to stand a chance of continuing his 12-match goal-a-game run since his summer switch from Benfica.
Far more players went down with cramp than chances were created in the final throes, neither side prepared to risk breaking the deadlock with the return game at Tianhe Stadium two weeks away.
Ahli’s cause was badly hampered by idiotic behaviour from hot-tempered Haikal in the 84th minute. The minimum of provocation from Guangzhou substitute Gao Lin saw him react with a back-handed slap, referee Kim Jong-Hyeok correctly producing a red card.
An entente cordial had already broken out by that stage, the visitors confident home comforts will see them become Asia’s kings once again in a fortnight.
