(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Western Sydney Wanderers became the first Australian winners of the AFC Champions League after they withstood an onslaught from Al Hilal to prevail 1-0 on aggregate after a bad tempered goalless draw in Saudi Arabia yesterday.
Al Hilal dominated at the King Fahd International Stadium but wasted some fantastic chances as the fledgling Wanderers, only founded in 2012, somehow held out to complete a remarkable triumph in their debut continental campaign and qualify for next month's FIFA Club World Cup.
Carrying a goal advantage from the first leg they owed much of their victory to the heroics of goalkeeper Ante Covic and generosity of Japanese referee Yuichi Nishimura, who waved away two strong Al Hilal penalty appeals.
Al Hilal's fury at the officiating boiled over after the final whistle and led to a brawl between some of their players and officials.
Al Hilal came within inches of taking the game to extra time late on, but Covic saved brilliantly from close range and then watched anxiously as the ball squirmed under his body but around the far post.
Pinpoints of green light had played on his face throughout the match as Al Hilal fans tried to blind him with laser pens, but beams also shone onto other Wanderers players whenever they received the ball or stood over a free kick.
Al Hilal dominated the first half but only turned their possession into sustained pressure in the period running up to half time when several dangerous crosses fizzed into the Wanderers' area and a Thiago Neves header went over the bar.
The Sydney team managed a lone shot on goal shortly after the half hour mark, but Labinot Haliti was without support and had little choice but to blast straight at Abdullah Al-Sdairy. Moments before the whistle blew for the break, Antony Golic made contact with Nawaf Al-Abid in Sydney's area, but the Al Hilal player was already on his way down and the referee waved away the furious appeals from the players and stands.
Half way into the second half it was Covic who brought down Salman al-Faraj as he raced into the box, but again no penalty was given, prompting a hail of water bottles to be thrown from the stands and fans tearing down a large banner.
The 65,000 Al Hilal fans had filled the stadium by early afternoon, hours before kick-off fans were already streaming back to the highway after being turned back.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.