Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Guangzhou: AFC Player of the Year nominee Ahmed Khalil has set his sights on a return to the final of the AFC Champions League after Al Ahli of the United Arab Emirates were defeated 1-0 by China’s Guangzhou Evergrande in Saturday’s final.
After the first leg in Dubai finished goalless, Al Ahli went into the tie at Tianhe Sport Centre Stadium knowing that an away goal could prove crucial as Cosmin Olaroiu’s side aimed to win the final at the first time of asking.
And with UAE international Khalil (pcitured, right) having registered six goals in the tournament prior to Saturday’s clash, Al Ahli had the firepower to cause their opponents trouble.
But after Brazilian striker Elkeson gave Guangzhou the lead nine minutes into the second half, Khalil then limped off shortly after the hour as Al Ahli’s night ended in disappointment.
“In the future, we will try our best to get to the final and win the title. Only to be in the final is not enough,” said Al Ahli captain Khalil, who has been nominated for the AFC Player of the Year award alongside Guangzhou captain Zheng Zhi and UAE team-mate Omar Abdulrahman.
“Cosmin played a big role in getting us here, but in the match we didn’t follow his plans exactly as he wanted. We made some little mistakes, but I hope we can recover in the future.”
Al Ahli's Olaroiu rues missed chances
The 24-year-old had previously played a key role in Al Ahli’s progression to the final, scoring the winner against Iran’s Tractorsazi Tabriz as Olaroiu’s side qualified from Group D, before also registering key goals in knockout stage victories over fellow UAE side Al Ain and Naft Tehran of Iran.
“This has been a big experience for me and made me much more confident, so I hope I can learn from this in the future,” he added.
And although falling just short in Saturday’s final, Al Ahli’s starting line-up included eight players aged 26 or under.
“We have a young team; we have made it to the final once and this gives us more motivation for the future,” added goalkeeper Ahmed Mahmoud.
“No one expected us to be in the final, so we changed the way people think about us – now Asia knows all about us.
“We lost the trophy so it’s normal to feel sad, but we can’t keep our heads down as this is just one step and we have a lot ahead of us.”
Photo: Lagardère Sports