JEDDAH, April 26 : Coach Matthias Jaissle praised his Al-Ahli players after the Saudi Pro League side became the first club in more than two decades to win back-to-back Asian Champions League Elite titles with Saturday’s 1-0 win over Japan’s Machida Zelvia.
Al-Ahli retained the title despite playing the latter stages of the match with 10 men following Zakaria Hawsawi’s sending off, with Feras Al-Brikan netting the winner in extra time.
“I’m just really proud of what the team achieved, how every player was committed to the journey,” said the German, who became the first coach to win consecutive titles since the Asian Champions League era started in 2002.
“This year was special because we needed to overcome more obstacles along the way.”
The title success saw Al-Ahli emulate the achievement of cross-city rivals Al-Ittihad, who won the trophy in 2004 and 2005, and Jaissle admitted that his side had benefitted from the finals tournament being held on the club’s home turf.
“Obviously a part of it (winning again) was because we played here in Jeddah in front of our fans, who pushed us and gave us extra energy,” he said. “To win it back-to-back is something historic.
“It feels a bit weird. My tank is a bit empty. So much relief because the pressure was on. It will take a couple of days for this to sink in but we still have matches in the league and we still want to progress ahead of the teams in front of us.”
AL-BRIKAN HITS EXTRA-TIME WINNER AFTER HAWSAWI RED CARD
Al-Ahli were facing Japanese opposition in the final for the second season in a row, having defeated Kawasaki Frontale last year, and Jaissle’s team struggled to break down Go Kuroda’s well-drilled side.
Machida went into the decider at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium having conceded only seven times in 12 matches in the competition and having kept four consecutive clean sheets in the knockout rounds,
Goalkeeper Kosei Tani was called on to deny Galeno and Merih Demiral hit the crossbar while the Japanese side offered little at the other end of the pitch.
That was until Hawsawi was sent off in the 68th minute for headbutting Tete Yengi in full view of referee Ilgiz Tantashev and the Uzbek official showed no hesitation in dismissing the fullback.
While Machida became more assertive with a one-man advantage, it was Al-Ahli who hit the 96th-minute winner when Al-Brikan converted from close range after Franck Kessie had laid off Riyad Mahrez’s cross.
“We knew we were facing opponents who are so disciplined when out of possession,” said Jaissle. “We had opportunities to score but it became harder after Hawsawi was sent off for an unnecessary action.
“But we showed the right mentality and the players kept believing and that makes me so proud as a coach.
“We talked about it at the break that with a man down, we had to suffer more and work harder. However, we have quality players who can make one moment count.”
