Kuala Lumpur: As Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal take on Japan’s Urawa Red Diamonds in the final showpiece for the 2017 AFC Champions League title, we look back at the last time teams from Saudi and Japan faced in the final.
The 1999/2000 Asian Club Championship final brought Al Hilal against Jubilo Iwata. The Saudis always seemed to relish facing Japanese opponents; three out of their six AFC trophies came against Japanese sides.
Nagoya Grampus Eight, Shimizu S-Pulse and Jubilo Iwata all lost finals to Al Hilal at the turn of the century.
History
When Al Hilal took on Japan’s Jubilo Iwata in the 1999/2000 Asian Club Championship final at King Fahd Stadium, the trophy had been going to cabinets of east Asian teams for the previous six years.
Teams from Thailand and Korea Republic had dominated the continent throughout the 1990s while Jubilo Iwata themselves were the reigning champions that year.
Al Hilal were no strangers to Asian finals themselves, having been crowned Asian champions in 1991 at the expense of Iran’s Esteghlal.
But nine years on, several players from the class of 1991 had retired and a new generation emerged at King Fahd Stadium.
Goalkeeper Mohamed Al Deayea was Saudi Arabia’s undisputed number one, representing the nation at the 1994 and 1998 World Cups, Iconic striker Sami Al Jaber came through the ranks at Al Hilal and by 2000, he had become one of the best players in the country, while Mohamed Al Shalhoub was developing into a top-class playmaker after being promoted from the youth sides two years earlier.
Leading the side was Anghel Iordanescu who had led Steaua Bucharest and the Romanian national team to great success, including winning the European Cup as a player and reaching the final as a coach.
He was brought to Saudi in the hopes of delivering similar levels of success to Al Hilal.
Road to the final
Al Hilal overcame Qatar’s Al Sadd in the second round to reach the West Asia quarter-finals which were to take place in a single leg round-robin group style tournament in Riyadh.
Pitted against Persepolis from Iran, Al Shorta from Syria and FC Irtysh from Kazakhstan, Al Hilal emerged top of the group and kept a clean sheet throughout after beating Irtysh 2-0, Al Shorta 1-0 and drawing the final game against Persepolis to set up a semi-final clash with Korea Republic’s Suwon Samsung Bluewings.
Korean clubs had won three of the previous four editions of the competition when Suwon Samsung Bluewings landed in Riyadh in a bid to continue the tradition, but an early goal from Sergio Ricardo settled matters for Al Hilal in a narrow 1-0 win.
The Brazilian formed a formidable attacking force alongside Al Jaber. The duo combined for the lone goal in the semi-final as Al Jaber supplied a pinpoint cross inside the box and Sergio applied the finish to drive Al Hilal into the final.
Japan representatives Jubilo Iwata had stormed through the East Asia group with the full mark; three wins and no goals conceded ensured they bettered their compatriots Kashima Antlers as well as Suwon Samsung Bluewings and Thailand’s Sinthana.
The semi-finals brought Iran’s Persepolis, but Iwata were in full control as they masterminded a 2-0 victory with second-half goals from the deadly duo Naohiro Takahara and Masahi Nakayama.
The Grand Finale
Over 70,000 fans flocked to Riyadh’s Iconic King Fahd Stadium for the final and Al Hilal had no intention to let their passionate supporters down.
Would-be 2000 AFC Footballer of The Year Nawaf Al Temyat was brought down at the edge of the Japanese penalty area inside the first two minutes and the referee awarded a free-kick for the hosts.
Sergio expertly curled in at the far post to send the crowd into raptures.
The visitors responded emphatically with two strikes in as many minutes.
First, club captain Nakayama beat his marker to finish from six yards out, then as in the semi-final, Takahara added his name to the scoresheet with a first-time placed finish to the joy of the few Japanese fans present at the stadium.
Jubilo Iwata looked on track to deliver back-to-back Asian titles as many fans started leaving the stadium in the final minutes.
Those who stayed were rewarded with some of the most thrilling moments in the competition’s history.
With two minutes to go on the clock, right-back Ahmed Al Dokhi advanced into the Japanese half and delivered a curling cross that was met by a classic diving header from Sergio. It was 2-2 and game on.
For the third time in five years, the final had to be decided in extra time as Al Jaber embarked on a solo run on the left flank, beating two Japanese defenders before squaring from Sergio who controlled and applied the finish to complete an unforgettable hat-trick with a “golden goal” to bring the trophy back to the club nine years after their first victory in 1991.
The AFC Champions League was soon introduced to replace the Asian Club Championship and it took Al Hilal 14 years to return to the final as they faced Australia’s Western Sydney Wanderers three years ago.
Heartbreak ensued for the Saudi as the Wanderers edged them 1-0 in Sydney and held out for a goalless draw at the same stadium that saw Al Hilal lift the title in 2000.
This time it would only take three years for Riyadh’s blues to make another appearance at the final as they take on another Japanese opponent in Urawa Red Diamonds.
Photos: Lagardère Sports
Source: the-afc.com