AFC Champions League Final: Five memorable second legs

Published on: 23 November 2017

Kuala Lumpur: With the second leg of the AFC Champions League final between Urawa Red Diamonds and Al Hilal just days away, join the-AFC.com as we look back at five sensational second-leg encounters.

2004 AFC Champions League: Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma 0 Al Ittihad 5

 

The 2004 AFC Champions League final between Al Ittihad and Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma will remain in the annals as one of the most memorable two-legged ties in the history of the competition.

In the first leg in Jeddah, Al Ittihad were stunned when Seongnam came up with a 3-1 victory that seemed to have put paid to the Saudis' title hopes.

However, Al Ittihad's undying attitude came to the fore in an astonishing second leg comeback in Seongnam. Redha Tukar reduced the aggregate deficit with the opening goal before Hamzah Idris put Al Ittihad level at the stroke of halftime.

Mohammed Noor then netted a brace while Manaf Abushgeer's late strike rounded off a scarcely believable 5-0 away win that gave Al Ittihad their first AFC Champions League title.

2005 AFC Champions League: Al Ittihad 4 Al Ain 2

 

The third edition of the revamped AFC Champions League pitted together the two previous champions – Al Ain and Al Ittihad.

It was Al Ain who took the initiative in the first leg with Ali Msarri's opener but Al Ittihad came back to equalise with Mohammed Kallon's late penalty.

Unlike the first leg, the return fixture at the Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium in Jeddah featured goals galore. In what remains as the highest-scoring final in the history of the AFC Champions League, Al Ittihad registered a convincing 4-2 win over their Emirati opponents.

Tournament top scorer Kallon gave them an early lead before goals from Mohammed Noor, Joseph Desire-Job and Ahmed Al Dokhi confirmed the result, despite Al Ain's best efforts.

2006 AFC Champions League: Al Karamah 1 Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 2

 

In 2006, the AFC Champions League title move to East Asia for the first time after Korea Republic's Jeonbuk Hyundai pulled off a thrilling win over Syria's Al Karamah in the final.

Jeonbuk had put themselves in the driving seat with a 2-0 win in the first leg at home before they were stunned by a resurgent Al Karamah a week later.

Spurred on by over 40,000 fans in Homs, Al Karamah came roaring back into the tie with goals from Iyad Mando and Mohanad Ibrahim putting them on level terms.

However, it was Jeonbuk who would have the last laugh as Brazilian Ze Carlos struck in the 86th minute to silence the home crowd and give the visitors a 3-2 aggregate win.   

2013 AFC Champions League: Guangzhou Evergrande 1 FC Seoul 1

 

The last AFC Champions League final to feature two East Asian teams was played in 2013 when Guangzhou Evergrande locked horns with FC Seoul. It was a first Asian final for Guangzhou and they made sure it was one to remember.

The two sides fought out a 2-2 draw in the first leg in Seoul, setting the stage for a mouth-watering clash at the Tianhe Stadium a fortnight later.

After a goalless first half, Guangzhou's capacity crowd celebrated wildly when Elkeson gave them the lead in the 58th minute. Although Dejan Damjanovic equalised for Seoul just five minutes later, it was not enough to spoil a historic night for Guangzhou.

Marcello Lippi’s men held on to win on away goals and became the first Chinese club to win the AFC Champions League.

2014 AFC Champions League: Al Hilal 0 Western Sydney Wanderers 0

 

Our final entry on the list is another history-making effort, that saw Western Sydney Wanderers stun viewers in Asia and beyond when they became the first Australian winners of the AFC Champions League in 2014.

The triumph was even more intriguing because the club had only been in existence for two years. The final of the 2014 edition, therefore, seemed to be a mismatch as the Wanderers faced Saudi and Asian giants Al Hilal.

However, the A-League side put up a performance worthy of champions with a 1-0 win at home, that was followed by a heroic display in the second leg in Riyadh. 

Despite a massive Al Hilal onslaught, goalkeeper Ante Covic starred with an inspired performance to help Tony Popovic’s side keep a clean sheet and lift the title.

Source: Lagardère Sports

Source: the-afc.com

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