Final heartbreak for Al-Hilal who wonder what might have been

On Saturday, Al-Hilal lost the Asian Champions League final for the third time in a decade. The record books will show that Urawa Reds won the second leg 1-0 to take the tie 2-1 on aggregate but what won’t be as clear was that — just as in 2014 against Western Sydney Wanderers and three years later against the same Japanese opposition — the Riyadh giants could have been the ones lifting the trophy.

Such is football and the Saudi champions have four continental titles, still more than anyone else. But this was a case of what might have been for the title-holders.

What would have happened if, with Al-Hilal comfortably leading 1-0 at home last week, Ali Al-Bulaihi’s attempted clearance in the first leg had not somehow ended up hitting the post, allowing Shinzo Koroki to score a goal that came out of nothing? What would have happened had Salem Al-Dawsari, scorer of the opening goal, not seen red later in the game leaving him out of the second leg? What would have happened had Ramon Diaz’s men simply made more use of their prodigious possession in both games?

If the 1-1 draw from the first leg had been frustrating it was also costly, with Al-Dawsari absent and captain Salman Al-Faraj injured for the second leg. Full-back Yasser Al-Shahrani was also unavailable which meant that Diaz had to ring the changes. He brought in experienced midfielder Abdullah Al-Otayf, young forward Abdullah Al-Hamdan and Peruvian winger Andre Carrillo.

The visitors had the first sight of goal and were claiming a penalty in the fourth minute. Al-Hamdan and Urawa goalkeeper Shusaku Nishikawa both went down going for the ball and Odion Ighalo had a subsequent shot cleared off the line.

The opening stages continued in a similar vein as the Saudi