Silva eager to conquer AFC Champions League

Published on: 20 November 2017

Riyadh: Al Hilal’s match plans looked to have been thrown into tatters when Rafael Silva swept home on the rebound to hand Urawa Red Diamonds the lead seven minutes into the first leg of the AFC Champions League final on Saturday.

The Brazilian continued his impressive scoring run with an eighth goal in 10 appearances in the competition and he believes he will be ready to deliver again for Urawa this Saturday despite being stretchered off 20 minutes into the second half.

“My injury will not affect my chances of playing next week,” said Silva as he limped out of the King Fahd Stadium towards the team bus.

“I will be ready for the second leg. I have a strong desire to conquer the AFC Champions League.”

In order to do that, Silva and his Urawa teammates will have to hold Al Hilal to a goalless draw at home or even better, beat their Saudi opponents the way they did every other team whovisited Saitama in the competition this season.

The 25-year-old did not hide his admiration for the way Al Hilal went about their business at King Fahd Stadium, but was equally pleased with his side’s efforts in coming out of the Riyadh affair with a positive draw.

“Al Hilal are an extremely good team. They have talented players who can individually decide the game. They are awesome,

“We suffered a bit because Al Hilal kept the ball well and had most of the possession. It was a typical final match; a lot of grit and hard work. I think we all showed dedication and deserved the result we got."

The Brazilian striker, who joined Urawa from fellow J-League side Albirex Niigata at the start of the year, admitted his team may have been lucky not to concede more goals in Riyadh, and vowed to display more attacking football in the return leg.

“They had a lot more chances that we did. Our goalkeeper saved a lot of chances and this helped us. If you ask me, we were lucky. We had to defend, but we always play to win, we suffered to do that today, but we will show our qualities in the return leg.”

Photos: Lagardère Sports

Source: the-afc.com

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website.
Learn more