All to play for in final push - AFC CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
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| AFP |
The race for AFC Champions League final places remains wide open. Guangzhou Evergrande and Al Hilal had been hoping to put one foot in the showdown, but Gamba Osaka scored an away goal in a narrow defeat in China PR and Al Alhi drew 1-1 in Saudi Arabia. FIFA.com recaps the semi-final, first-leg action.
The match
Guangzhou Evergrande 2-1 Gamba Osaka
Luiz Felipe Scolari’s team assumed the ascendency from the outset, but lady luck contributed heavily to them being at an early deficit. Hiroyuki Abe's fierce cross from the right took a wicked deflection off defender Feng Xiaoting into flew into the Guangzhou net. Gamba came close to douling their advantage, with Patric shooting narrowly wide Shu Kurata rippled the side-netting. A period of Guangzhou pressure ensued, and it paid off ten minutes before the break when Huang Bowen volleyed home Elkeson's pass. The Chinese champions finished the first half having registered 13 shots. Their Japanese counterparts finished it relieved to be at parity. Guangzhou took up where the left off upon the restart. Left-winger Zheng Long grazed the upright with a free-kick, and after captain Zheng Zhi had one header save by the keeper, he found the net with another to make it 2-1. Gamba will be satisfied that is how it finished.
The other attraction
The rivals had both signed a series of big names ahead of the knockout phase of this competition, and it was one of Al Ahli’s who struck first, with former Benfica striker Lima powerfully heading them into a 57th minute lead. Another had a chance to pull Al Hilal level from the spot, but Carlos Eduardo spurned the opportunity. Ailton, another recent recruit, did make amends for his fellow Brazilian by equalizing eight minutes from time. For Al Hilal, who had won all their previous home fixtures in this competition, the draw was a disappointing result.
The player
Having made a name for himself in Portugal, where he finished as top-flight top scorer with Braga before firing Benfica to back-to-back titles, Lima has quickly taken to life with the Emirati club. The 32-year-old has now netted three goals apiece in the domestic league and the AFC Champions League.
The stat
2 - The semi-final line-up features two former winners in Guangzhou and Gamba, as well as a pair of former AFC Players of the Year in Zheng Zhi and Yasuhito Endo.
What they said
Cosmin Olaroiu, Al Ahli coach: "The Al Hilal fans made it a great atmosphere and we are glad we got away with a draw. But we will not go into the second leg thinking of a draw, because we could lose given that our opponents are a very strong team.”