For Al Ahli, it could have been better. But it could have been far worse, too.
A day that began with joyous optimism ended, after a little introspection, with hope. A 0-0 draw at home in the first leg of their Asian Champions League final could turn out to be a deceptively good result.
In between, Al Ahli’s fans showed defiance, concern and, thanks to one player at least, anger.
Almost 100 Guangzhou Evergrande supporters had arrived three hours before kick off, every single one decked out in the club’s red shirt. On the other side of Rashid Stadium, the Al Ahli regulars would rarely have arrived this early for a match. The mood was upbeat, with one of the most diverse crowds a UAE football stadium could wish to see.
Their were green-clad supporters of Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli, in Dubai to support their namesakes; around us sat Iraqi, Iranian, Egyptian and Indian fans waving the Al Ahli and UAE flags the club had provided with each seat. A few European expatriates also showed their support for the club.
The final attendance of just under 9,480 is rarely matched during domestic matches, but all the same, it was an atmosphere worthy of the occasion.
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“We’ll win maybe by two goals, I think Lima will score,” one Al Ahli fan, Khamees Ahmed, 19, said before kick off, referring to the club’s prolific Brazilian striker Rodrigo Lima. “I must admit I haven’t seen too much of the Chinese team, but we always respect our opponents.”
Others conceded they knew little of Guangzhou either, perhaps an indication that the Asian Champions League remains, save for the final, two completely separate competitions. It is unlikely those wonderfully engaging Chinese fans knew the intricacies of Cosmin Olaroiu’s team either.
The home supporters’ now famous banners transmitted their hopes to the players. “History and glory are knocking on your door, fight for the nation”; “The Road Must be Red”; and “Red or Dead” were just a few.
“Who do you love?” shouted a cheerleader with a megaphone. “Ah-la-wi,” responded the crowd.
When Al Ahli struggled to get to grips with their opponents’ strength and speed in the first half, the drums and bagpipes ensured the atmosphere remained electric throughout.
But if many Al Ahli fans were unfamiliar with Guangzhou at the outset, they certainly knew by half time that this was a far tougher test than anticipated. A scoreless first half could easily have gone the way of the visitors.
“We have to play better, we keep giving the ball away,” Nasser, a young Ahli fan, said. “We should pass it to Ismail [Al Hammadi], he’s our most dangerous attacker.”
As the home team’s substitutes warmed up during the break there were several chants for former Liverpool winger Oussama Assaidi, a crowd favourite. The Moroccan international responded with a few waves.
The second half saw a drop in excitement levels, and though Al Hammadi looked to raise the tempo, the match trudged to a barren end, the main talking point being Abdulaziz Haikal’s unfathomable sending off.
“Only God knows what he was thinking,” came an angry shout from the home end. “And only God can forgive him.”
At the final whistle, there was generous applause for both teams, and there was one last uplifting moment as Al Ahli’s players and supporters together belted out the UAE national anthem.
“That result is in our favour, I’m telling you, it’s in our favour,” said one upbeat fan.
And why not? Al Ahli have shown in the knockout stages against Al Ain, Naft Tehran and Al Hilal that they are capable of scoring and getting results at the most hostile of away grounds. They need one more Spartan effort, and history and glory, as the banner implored them, will be theirs.
“I believe that we will be champions,” Al Ahli supporter Ismail Ahmed Abdullah said as fans queued to exit the stadium. “I hope we win the match in China, not just draw. I think we can do it. We will do it.”
[ akhaled@thenational.ae ]
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