As arguably the biggest dog in Asia, there is certainly no shame in losing to Al Hilal. Given they’ve lost just one of their past 15 matches on the continent, it’s a reality that faces most that come up against the Saudi giant.
But there is losing and then there is losing.
Few at Al Duhail, the eight-time Qatari champion, will forget the humiliation they suffered at the hands of Al Hilal in last year’s AFC Champions League semi-final.
Four goals before the half-hour mark rendered the contest over. By half-time it was 5-0 and could easily have been seven or eight. If this were boxing the referee would’ve ended the contest already.
Only Al Hilal’s self-restraint in the second half stopped the score ballooning out past the final score of 7-0. If they wanted they could easily have racked up double figures to really embarrass their Qatari opponent, but 7-0 was already embarrassment enough.
Standing on the sideline that night for Al Duhail was Hernan Crespo, suffering through one of the worst nights of his burgeoning managerial career.
“Football has no secrets, and when you face a team like Al Hilal and your team lacks important players, you can lose and I am very proud of our players’ performance in this tournament because they reached this stage for the first time in their history,” a circumspect Crespo said afterwards.
“When you face a better team than you, it is difficult to keep the pace, and we may have been waiting for surprises to happen, but didn’t happen. Never to mention also the pressure of matches. We must learn from this defeat and strive to work and build on the learnt lessons.”
While Crespo has now since departed Al Duhail, fate works in mysterious ways, and 14 months later, now at Al Ain, Crespo will again be in the opposition dugout facing Al Hilal in the AFC Champions League semi-final.
Having already slayed Cristiano Ronaldo and Al Nassr, the challenge facing Al Ain is arguably the toughest in Asia: taking down a side Crespo said is ‘built to win the Champions League’. The same side that inflicted one of the worst losses of his coaching career.
While he won’t admit it publicly, in quiet moments of reflection I’m sure he’s given thought to exacting a little revenge. There’s a pride that needs to be restored, and being the one to end their world-record winning streak is a sure fire way to do just that.
Speaking on the eve of the game, Crespo said the challenge presented by facing Al Hilal is just as big as it was last year.
“It’s more or less the same situation,” the 48-year-old said.
“It’s a great big team. Everybody knows the result (last year). At that time it was the first time (in the semi-finals) for the club [Al Duhail], and we learn and personally we try again.
“We did it again and we are here. Is it enough? I don’t know if it’s enough. But we are here. In terms of my career, but even for (Al Ain), our idea is to try to be competitive. If you face a team that is better than you, (you) clap your hands and shake their hands.
“We face a team that in the last three years, they won the Champions League, they lost the (2023) final and come here without losing one game this season. This is true or not? Is it hard or not? But we still believe.”
His Al Ain side have already have already taken one star-studded Saudi side down this campaign in a thrilling contest with Al Nassr in the quarter-finals, with Soufiane Rahimi the star of the show with three goals across the two legs to send Al Nassr packing. While the result was a surprise to many, it wasn’t to Crespo.
“That we are here for everybody was a surprise, but for me it’s not a surprise,” he said.
“But this is different. Nobody expects us here, but we are here and we live this semi-final. The atmosphere will be great. We believe in ourselves. Because it’s football.”
Since then, however, their own form has worryingly dipped; winless in their last three league games and now all but out of the title race domestically after just one win in their past four, sitting 15 points behind the undefeated Al Wasl with just eight games remaining.
When you add in an unexpected loss to lowly Ittihad Kalba in the President’s Cup quarter-finals, it’s been exactly a month since they last tasted victory.
Given their form worries, it could be seen as a less than ideal time to face a team that has won their last 34 matches in all competitions.
Crespo, however, just wants his players to enjoy the occasion and the rest will take care of itself.
“We must be happy,” he said.
“It’s football, anything can happen. We are here and we are so proud to be part of this kind of event. In your career you don’t have a lot of opportunities to play these kind of matches, (so) be proud of that. Be happy, try to do your best and the result will be the consequence.”
Photos: Al Ain FC
Listen to Episode 219 of The Asian Game Podcast as we preview the AFC Champions League semi-finals
