Muscat: Al Hilal winger Salem Al Dawsari is set to play his fifth AFC Champions League semi-final match in four years when the Saudi side take on Persepolis at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Muscat. And despite a comfortable four-goal cushion from the first leg, Al Dawsari says the second leg clash against Persepolis is as important as any.
The 26-year-old contributed two assists as Al Hilal romped to a 4-0 win in the first leg in Abu Dhabi, but he believes the result means nothing going into the second leg.
“It is true being 4-0 up is a good result, but that does not mean anything now. There are many cases where teams have fought back from being four goals down,” insisted Al Dawsari.
The winger who spent his entire career at Al Hilal believes the club’s winning mentality guarantees the players don’t take anything for granted.
“The coach gave us instructions, but more important is the winning culture we have as Al Hilal players. We are always motivated and will not switch off just because we have a comfortable lead.
“We have to forget all about the first leg and go into this match as if it is a final; a completely different match.”
Al Dawsari was man of the match when Al Hilal faced Western Sydney Wanderers in the 2014 AFC Champions League final first leg, but he is not letting himself get carried away by thinking about the final just yet.
“If we think about the final now, we shoot ourselves in the foot. All our focus is on Persepolis now. After we get through, we can talk about the final.”
Photos: Lagardère Sports
Source: the-afc.com