Al-Hilal rue defensive error as AFC Champions League final first leg against Urawa Reds ends in 1-1 draw

RIYADH: “Go Blues” was the message held up by the fans inside the packed King Fahd International Stadium on Saturday and that is exactly what Al-Hilal initially did against Urawa Reds of Japan before being held to a 1-1 draw in the first leg of the AFC Champions League final.

It is also something they will have to do next Saturday in Japan in the return match if they are to extend their continental record from four titles to five.

What started out as a promising evening ended in frustration and rancour for both Al-Hilal as well as Salem Al-Dawsari.

The 30-year-old loves nothing more than scoring big goals in big games. Urawa Reds fans will remember his strike in the second leg of the 2019 final in Japan which took the trophy away from them and gave the West Asians revenge for the 2017 final defeat. Fans everywhere else will never forget his spectacular winner for Saudi Arabia against Argentina at the 2022 World Cup. His early goal put Al-Hilal in control but late in the game, he was sent off and Al-Hilal will have to go and win without him. 

By that time, Urawa, going for their third title, had levelled out of nowhere with Shinzo Koroki scoring early in the second half meaning that everything was different, the tie, the teams and the noise.

As it started however, the atmosphere in Riyadh was exactly what you would expect given the size of these two clubs. It was Al-Hilal who put in the performance to match and after a cagey opening, they were ahead after just 13 minutes. 

It is not a goal that the visitors will want to watch again. Michael Delgado beat his man down the right and fired over a low cross. Alexander Scholz left it for the goalkeeper and vice versa meaning the ball rolled right through to the far post