Al Ain aim to stick together 'like family' in pursuit of Asian Champions League glory

Al Ain defender Kouame Autonne put his side’s progress to the Asian Champions League final down to their “family” ethic, saying the UAE club will work tirelessly to come back even stronger to clinch the trophy.

Al Ain, continental champions in 2003, came through a dramatic semi-final against record four-time winners Al Hilal, advancing to the title match 5-4 on aggregate despite a 2-1 defeat in the second leg in Riyadh on Tuesday night.

Hernan Crespo’s side, 4-2 winners on home soil last week, had to be at their resilient best to go through, with Hilal pinning them back for much of the second half at a packed and partisan Kingdom Arena.

In ultimately limiting Hilal to two goals, Al Ain booked a place in the final for the fourth time in their history, after appearances in 2003, 2005 and 2016.

Speaking to The National in the Saudi capital as the result was still sinking in, centre-back Autonne struggled to sum up his emotions, having played an integral role in Al Ain’s success.

“Right now, I feel very, very happy because I’m in the final,” he said. “It was a difficult game, a great game against Al Hilal, who are a very, very big team.

“I want to say thank you to the fans who came to see us. Because of them we pushed on the pitch, and everybody sees that in the result. Just a big thank you to them.

“You saw in the stadium, so many fans from Al Hilal, and if our support didn’t push us, we don’t get this power to fight until the end. We needed this on the pitch.”

Autonne, who signed for Al Ain in 2021 from Khorfakkan, was one of many Al Ain players who performed superbly on the night – even after he conceded a first-minute penalty that Ruben Neves then dispatched to hand Hilal the perfect start.

“There is no secret, it’s the