Diaz rues Al-Hilal luck after defeat

TOKYO: Ramon Diaz was left to bemoan Al-Hilal’s luck as the Riyadh giants lost the AFC Champions League final second leg 1-0 to Urawa Reds to go down 2-1 on aggregate.
Diaz’s side were on top for much of the 180 minutes against the J-League powerhouse but a 1-1 draw in Riyadh and the defeat at the Saitama Stadium gave Urawa Reds a second continental title ten years after the first.
”We had no luck,” a downbeat Diaz said.
“I think that overall in the tournament, we were the best team but in the final and especially in this game, circumstances were against us.”
It was always going to be tough to break down a resolute Urawa defense even before the loss of star Brazilian Carlos Eduardo due to injury early in the first leg. To make matters worse, tournament top scorer Omar Khribin hobbled off in the second half in Japan and was followed soon after by the red-carded Salem Al-Dawsari.
”This is football,” added the Argentine, linked earlier in the week to the vacant Saudi Arabia national team job.
“We did our best but were not able to get the win. I congratulate Urawa and I also congratulate my players who gave everything, not only in this game but in the tournament overall.”
A late strike from Rafael Silva, the scorer of Urawa’s goal a week ago, gave the Reds the win and Al-Hilal a first defeat in the competition this year. Not that the champions cared but the game was far from a classic. For the neutral, the game needed an early Al-Hilal breakthrough to cancel out the away goal from the first leg. But the Japanese, lining up in their usual 4-1-4-1 formation, worked hard to ensure it did not happen.
The Reds were happy to let the visitors have most of the ball for the second successive Saturday though this time, similar percentages of possession did not convert into similar clear chances. In the opening 45 minutes, there were more yellow cards than goalmouth action.
Al-Dawsari was the danger man in the first half, even if he damaged his own team in the second. A smart piece of skill gave the winger time to shoot from just outside the area before the half-hour but the ball just cleared the crossbar. Not long after he was shooting wide before Nicolas Milesci missed the best chance of the half with an weak shot when in space in the box.
Only the 60,000 all-singing and all-dancing fans in red reminded that this game was being played in Japan, such was the visitors’ aggression. After the break, Al-Hilal continued to dominate possession, spending longer and longer in the
Urawa half but finding less and less space. The Saudis were becoming increasingly desperate, introducing 36-year-old striker Yasser Al-Qahtani midway through the second half just as the Japanese were introducing defenders.
Inevitably, that pressure gave Urawa space to counter-attack and with 16 minutes remaining, the hosts had their best chance as Shinzo Koroki Silva headed towards the bottom corner, only for Abdullah Al-Mayoof to somehow get down and to make a stupendous save.
Frustration was understandable for Al-Hilal but harder to know was why Dawsari, already booked, went in late, high and with studs showing against Wataru Endo. He was rightly dismissed. “I am not going to single out any player,” said Diaz. “We played well as a team.”
That dismissal lifted Urawa and with two minutes remaining, Silva broke free to fire a rocket that gave Al-Mayoof no chance.
“We worked hard for the win and we had to because Al-Hilal are a very good team,” said Urawa boss Takafumi Hori. “I am delighted with my players who came through a great test to become champions of Asia.”
It was a bitter repeat of history for the Saudi Arabian outfit. Just like in the 2014 final against Western Sydney Wanderers, Al-Hilal had been expected to win and, just like in 2014, deserved to.
Yet it is Urawa who take the trophy and go on to the FIFA Club World Cup and a possible tie with Real Madrid. The Al-Hilal players make the long journey home with nothing to show after a year of impressive Asian performances.

Diaz rues Al-Hilal luck after defeat