AFCCL semi: Lima secures vital Al Ahli away goal

Matt Jones - Editor 03:43 30/09/2015
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  • Al Hilal were unable to break down the Al Ahli defence.

    Al Ahli were eight minutes away from a famous victory last night as Ailton Almeida’s late goal rescued a 1-1 draw for Al Hilal in the first leg of the AFC Champions League semi-final in Saudi Arabia.

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    Cosmin Olaroiu’s Red Knights rode out of Riyadh with a priceless away goal and a result which suggests they will be slight favourites to make the final when the two sides meet again in Dubai in three weeks.

    The visitors, however, played well enough to win in the cavernous King Fahd International Stadium.

    Hilal have built a fearsome reputation at home, but Ahli showed little regard for that, summer signing Rodrigo Lima silencing the majority when he headed in the opening goal just before the hour mark.

    Hilal were awarded a contentious penalty minutes later, but Carlos Eduardo’s effort came back off the post, although Brazilian striker Almeida’s equaliser ensured the tie is very much still alive.

    In a niggly first half, low on quality and punctuated by embarrassing play-acting from both sets of players, UAE international Ahmed Khalil had the best chance, grazing a post.

    Uzbekistani referee Valentin Kovalenko probably suspected he was in for a busy evening, waving away several attempts at winning a free-kick or penalty and booking Hilal’s Khalid Al Kabi and Mohammed Jahfali for cynical fouls on Everton Ribeiro and Khalil.

    The players seemed more intent on trying to score goals rather than points with the referee in the second half.

    Salem Al Dawsari should have done better when he fed and then received the ball back from Mohammed Al Burayk before blasting his effort over.

    The Red Knights stunned the majority inside the stadium just before the hour mark when they took the lead.

    Ribeiro’s free-kick from the right touchline was a peach, Lima rising high to plant a firm header past Khaled Sharahili.

    There may have been some trepidation entering their minds when Giorgios Donis introduced Nasser Al Shamrani to the fold.

    The Saudi Arabia international had been Al Ain’s chief tormentor in the same stadium almost a year previously, scoring two of Hilal’s three goals in a 3-0 semi-final first leg victory which paved their way to the final.

    Minutes after his introduction the hosts were bizaarely awarded a penalty.

     Salmeen Khamis, trying to scheme a goal-kick when the ball had in fact deflected off him for a corner, picked the ball up.

    It was not adjudged to have fully crossed the line and Kovalenko pointed to the spot, but there was a sense of justice when Eduardo’s effort struck the outside of the post and rebounded to safety.

    The edge thereafter was with the hosts but Ahli stood stoutly until Almeida rose high to bullet compatriot Eduardo’s corner into the corner.

    Ahli could even have snatched a win late on, Ribeiro twice thwarted by Sharahili.

    Olaroiu and his men will probably reflect on what might have been but this was a mightily impressive performance in one of the fiercest football fortresses in the Middle East, and the second leg is tantalisingly poised.

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