Ramon Diaz praises Al Hilal's 'champion personality' after ACL final defeat to Urawa

Four-time champions beaten 1-0 in second leg in Japan on Saturday to lose tie 2-1 on aggregate

Al Hilal manager Ramon Diaz consoles Gustavo Cuellar after the defeat to Urawa Red Diamonds in the Asian Champions League final. AFP

Al Hilal manager Ramon Diaz thanked his players for their “champion personality and huge effort” despite the heartbreak of losing the Asian Champions League final on Saturday.

The holders, bidding to secure the trophy for a record-extending fifth time, were beaten 1-0 in the second leg against Urawa Red Diamonds, with the Japanese club taking the title 2-1 on aggregate.

Midfielder Andre Carillo’s own goal at Saitama Stadium decided the tie – last week’s first leg in Riyadh finished 1-1 - with Hilal runners-up in the tournament for the fourth time in nine years.

Seeking a third Champions League crown in the past four editions, the Saudi Arabian side had the majority of the chances on Saturday, but were ultimately left to rue Carillo’s decisive touch four minutes into the second half.

“The team played very well, represented Al Hilal with a very, very high performance,” Diaz told reporters afterwards. “They showed their champion personality, but we created a lot of chances and couldn’t translate any into a goal.

“That’s why I wanted to thank the players for the huge effort they did up until here.”

Diaz, Hilal manager when they were beaten by Urawa in the 2017 final, attributed the defeat in part to last week’s draw in the first leg in the Saudi capital.

Then, Hilal squandered a 1-0 lead, while they also lost captain Salman Al Faraj to injury and goalscorer Salem Al Dawsari to a late red card. The Saudi winger was thus suspended for the return fixture.

In Saitama, Hilal striker Odion Ighalo had a shot cleared off the line early on, with Urawa goalkeeper Shusaku Nishikawa making numerous saves – most notably from Ighalo in the final minute.

Saudi champions Hilal, fourth in the domestic league with four rounds remaining and runners-up in February’s Fifa Club World Cup, must rebound quickly. On May 12, they contest the King’s Cup final against Al Wehda.

“The game was tough as everybody has seen,” Diaz said. “We played very well, much better than the first leg in Riyadh. The mistake we made for the goal we received there affected the total result.

“I want to thank the players for the enormous efforts they made to reach this point. I want to thank the administration and the president of the club - they did a great job - and all the fans of this great club that supported us along the way.

“We played much better here, but we were unlucky. We feel sorry but we still have a final that we will be dealing with next week.

“And I’m sure, just as the Al Hilal team showed high category and high class in this game, they are going to come back to their personality again.”

Asked if the travel and recent arduous schedule - nine matches in five weeks - played its part in Hilal’s defeat to Urawa, Diaz replied: “This normal when you play for Al Hilal.

“This is the only club in Saudi Arabia that competes in all the competitions. We have many players represented in the national team, who played also in the [2022] World Cup.

“We played a semi-final of the King’s Cup [six days] before playing the Champions League final [first leg] - it was a tough game. We played many tough games in a short time. But this is our destiny, we can’t do anything about it.”

Meanwhile, Urawa avenged defeat in the 2019 final to Hilal to make it three Champions League titles – and first in six years.

The 2007 and 2017 champions are unbeaten in 13 matches.

Urawa manager Maciej Skorza, appointed in November, said: "Today we are very happy that, after a few months working hard, thinking about this game, we are winning this trophy for the fantastic supporters at this huge club.

"This is a big honour for me and it's just amazing. It's difficult to find a way to describe this win. I feel the spirit of the support and it's something special. What I can say, today was not easy for us on the pitch. Very often we were struggling but we were playing with one more player."