Saitama: Al Hilal coach Ramon Diaz congratulated Urawa Red Diamonds on lifting the 2017 AFC Champions League trophy, while expressing his pride of his own players who reached the final.
A late Rafael Silva goal consigned Al Hilal to a 1-0 defeat in the second leg of the final in Saitama, having came into the match on the back of a 1-1 draw in Riyadh.
The Argentinian admitted his side should have done better in the first leg to give themselves a chance of winning the title.
“Maybe we lost our chance here in Tokyo after missing so many chances in Riyadh. It was a dream to be here and we did well all the way through tournament,” reflected Diaz.
“I want to congratulate Urawa for winning the cup. I am really satisfied with my players. They performed very well, and I am proud of everyone at the club.”
The loss at Saitama was Al Hilal’s first of the campaign against an Urawa side who had beaten all opponents in the competition on this ground.
The competition’s top goalscorer Omar Khribin (pictured above, left) had found the net in the first leg but he struggled with an injury after a 13th minute challenge and was eventually withdrawn after the hour-mark. And Diaz rued his side’s luck with injuries.
“We had bad luck in our home game when one of our key players Carlos Eduardo was injured. Today Khribin got injured and this complicated the mission for us,
“It is true that we created more chances in the first leg but here in the first half we had two or three chances which we could not convert to goals. The injury to our main striker Khribin meant we lost a little bit offensively as our most attacking player had to come off.”
Al Hilal found themselves on the losing end of an AFC Champions League final for the second time after 2014, but their coach remained defiant as he eyed a better future for his side.
Diaz believes his players will learn from the experience of playing at this level and will come back stronger.
“After this game we will take our time to analyse everything and discuss with the club management what can we do in the future to make us stronger,
“We are a big team, so we need to get back on our feet as quickly as possible. We didn’t have luck in this game, but it will give our players more valuable experience.”
Diaz, who was the first top goal scorer of Japan’s J-League in his time as a player, praised Urawa’s style of football, conceding that his side struggled to cope with the home team.
“I think Urawa defended very well today and relied on their counter-attack and could press very well, especially in midfield, where they could capitalise on our mistakes,
“We created chances in the first half, even after Khribin’s injury. But Urawa took advantage of the counter-attack and scored the only goal.”
Photos: AFP & Lagardère Sports
Source: the-afc.com