Ljubijankic: We got the result we came for
Riyadh: Urawa Red Diamond striker Zlatan Ljubijankic is pleased with his side’s 1-1 draw against Al Hilal in the first leg of the 2017 AFC Champions League final.
The 33-year-old replaced injured Rafael Silva 20 minutes into the second half after the Brazilian, who had scored Urawa Red Diamonds’ only goal, was stretchered off with an injury.
“This result is what we came for,” explained the Slovenian. “We scored an away goal and avoided defeat. Now we have a good chance to win the second leg at home.”
The Japanese side struck inside the first 10 minutes, but subsequently fell under heavy pressure from Al Hilal for the remainder of the first half.
Ljubijankic saw little of the ball as his side retreated and attempted to hit on the counter-attacks which had brought them their only goal.
Al Hilal striker Omar Khribin was uncharacteristically wasteful and a heroic performance between the sticks by Urawa Red Diamonds goalkeeper Shukasu Nishikawa (pictured below) ensured the visitors escaped with a draw.
“In the first half we had defensive problems. We were outplayed by Al Hilal and we were a bit lucky that they wasted so many chances in front of goal,
“We were much better in the second half and I think that we deserved the draw. We worked hard and fought until the end, maybe luck was on our side, but that is football. What matters is that we got the result we wanted.”
Both sides departed Riyadh early on Sunday morning as all eyes turn to the decisive second leg in Saitama on November 25.
Ljubijankic expects his side to be more comfortable at home and show more of their attacking prowess that saw them score 29 goals so far in the competition, three more than any other team.
“It will be a different game next week. We will play at home and can deliver a better attacking performance.
We played in front of a huge crowd in Riyadh and they put us under a lot of pressure. In Japan we will be in front of our own fans who want to win the AFC Champions League again."
Photos: Lagardère Sports
Source: the-afc.com
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