UAE’s Al-Ain reached the Asian Champions League final on Tuesday after beating Al-Hilal 5-4 on aggregate in the semi-final, ending Saudi Arabia’s chances of lifting the continental prize.
Four-time champions Al-Hilal, without injured strikers Neymar and Aleksandar Mitrovic, won 2-1 in Riyadh but failed to overturn a 4-2 deficit from last week’s first leg.
Al-Hilal are the fourth Saudi Pro League club to be eliminated since the start of the round of 16 in February.
The return match started well for Al-Hilal and the sold-out Kingdom Arena was on its feet after just four minutes.
Ruben Neves, who arrived last summer from English Premier League side Wolverhampton, converted a penalty after Kouame Kouadio brought down Brazilian striker Michael Delgado.
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The home fans fell silent just seven minutes later as 2003 champions and two-time runners-up Al-Ain restored their two-goal lead. Yahia Nader passed to Erik Jorgens on the edge of the box and the Brazilian found the bottom corner with a low shot.
Six minutes after the restart, Salem Al-Dawsari put Al-Hilal back on level terms. The Asian Player of the Year collected the ball after a weak defensive header and fired a low shot through a crowd of players into the back of the net.
The home players rushed to their positions in preparation for the equalizing goal. Delgado, alone in the penalty area, then saw his shot hit the legs of goalkeeper Khalid Eisa.
In May, Al-Ain will face the winner of the semi-final in the East Zone. South Korea’s Ulsan HD visits Yokohama F.Marinos on Wednesday with a 1-0 lead from the first leg.
