Al Ain Defeat Al Hilal 5-4 on Aggregate to Reach AFC Champions League Final
Al Hilal failed to advance to the AFC Champions League finals, falling short against Al Ain of the United Arab Emirates.
Although the Saudi Pro League leaders won the second leg 2-1, they could not overturn the heavy 4-2 defeat away to the UAE against Al Ain, losing 5-4 on aggregate in the two-legged semi-final.
Going into the second leg at home, Jorge Jesus was convinced his side could turn around their highly anticipated last-four clash against the UAE side in Riyadh on Tuesday night. However, missing their star forward Neymar and Aleksandar Mitrovic due to injury, they could only manage a 2-1 win, which was not enough to overturn the 4-2 deficit from last week’s first leg.
Al Hilal was the last Saudi Pro League side remaining in the tournament and the fourth to be eliminated since the knockout stages began in February.
The capacity crowd egged on Al Hilal at the beginning of the second leg at the Kingdom Arena and were rewarded when former Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Ruben Neves converted from the spot to give the home side a lead.
However, sloppy defending and incisive play from Al Ain silenced the home crowd seven minutes later, with Brazilian Erik Jorgens finding the bottom corner from close range with a low shot.
After half-time, Salem Al Dawsari notched to put the hosts ahead. However, Al Hilal could not find a way through, with Delgado missing a one-on-one chance in the penalty area and hitting Al Ain Khalid Eisa’s legs.
Al Ain progressed to the final, where they will face either South Korea’s Ulsan HD or Japan’s Yokohama F. Marinos. The South Korean side took a 1-0 lead to the second leg in Yokohama on Wednesday.
