Al Ain hope to end 13-yr wait for AFC Champions League title

Jeonbuk's Ricardo Lopes (left) vies with Al Ain's Mohammed Fayez during their AFC Champions League Final first leg match. - AFP

At stake is the AFC Champions League title and Al Ain will be hoping their 'Amoory' armoury will be at destructive best against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium on Saturday evening.
Al Ain lost the first leg of the finals 2-1 but have an away goal through Danilo Asprilla. Skipper Omar Abdurrahman felt Al Ain need to score once and shouldn't be complacent for the full 90 minutes. "The away goal has provided an opportunity to win the Asian title for the second time. We need to win by 1-0."
The skipper, however, said the team won't just look to score one goal as Jeonbuk will push for an equaliser and the title could slip away. The Garden City club, playing at home, will be going for the deathblow - a two-goal advantage and defend resolutely thereafter. Onus will be on coach the tactics deployed by Zlatko Dalic. The defence needs to be watertight and should not be guilty of giving away goal-scoring chances.
This will be their third final from 11 appearances. Al Ain won the inaugural AFC Champions League in 2003. They also finished runners-up in 2005 and reached the semifinals in 2014. Last year, they were out in the round of 16 on away goals to Al Ahli.
History doesn't favour Al Ain when it comes to playing against South Korean teams. They were beaten by Jeonbuk in the 2004 quarterfinals and FC Seoul in the 2011 group stage.
As for Al Ain opponents, midfielder Leonardo will hold key for Jeonbuk. With his first leg brace, he became the third player to score more than once in an AFC Champions League final.
But brothers and Al Ain full-backs Mohammed Fayez and Fawzi are confident about lifting the title. "Jeonbuk are a strong team but there is nobody in their team we can't stop," Mohammed said.
"God willing we can lift the title on Saturday and it would be a happy day for us, Al Ain fans, and the whole of UAE," Fawzi said. Al Ain will aim to become the second team to overturn a first-leg deficit in the AFC Champions League since Al Ittihad did it in the 2004 edition.
"Jeonbuk have the first-leg advantage. They were playing in their home ground but on Saturday we will be at our best."
Twelfth man is going to be a crucial factor and Ain fans will be out in their thousands at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium. A title win after 13 years is there for the taking.
ashwani@khaleejtimes.com