With a three-goal deficit after their semi-final first leg, Al Ain coach Zlatko Dalic said his team had no choice but to resolve to do everything in their power to reach the final of the Asian Champions League.
The UAE club's hopes of making the showpiece were dealt a hefty blow on Tuesday night, when they conceded three goals in 10 minutes against Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia to lose 3-0.
Al Ain’s chances of advancing to the continental final for the first time in nine years are slim but Dalic said he believes his troops can progress if they give their all in the second leg at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium on September 30.
“That’s football and that’s life, it forces on you some very difficult circumstances,” he said. “We now have to work hard to fix our problems and to give a better account of ourselves in Al Ain, and we know very well that the deficit is big, but we will do our best to overturn it.
“Losing by three goals is a big result, but it is important that we concentrate on what is expected of us at home.
“We will do our best to get a positive result thanks to the club’s resources, our strong support and my confidence in the players.
“I would like to apologise to our loyal fans for this heavy loss, but we must put that behind us and look to the future now.”
In the first leg of the east Asian semi-final on Wednesday, FC Seoul and Western Sydney Wanderers played out a scoreless draw.
The South Korean club, who finished runners-up in last season’s Asian Champions League, dominated most of the match and created the better chances but were unable to get the ball into the net.
The Australian team defended strongly and created some of their own chances on the counterattack.
They host the second leg on October 1 with everything to play for.
“It was a very tough test for us, but a clean sheet away from home, I’ll take that any day,” Wanderers captain Nikolai Topor-Stanley said.
“I’m just proud of the boys. Their work rate was phenomenal. I think it will be a whole different ball game at Parramatta Stadium.
“These clubs in Asian aren’t used to travelling 10 hours to Australia. So in front of our home fans, we’ll take a lot of confidence into the game.”
Despite failing to capitalise on their chances, the draw stretched Seoul’s unbeaten streak to 11 games in all competitions.
The Koreans also have the benefit of having played in last year’s final while the Wanderers are bidding to become just the second Australian team to make the final, a task made more complicated by the fact the A-League season does not start until next month.
– with agencies
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