Urawa filled with hope after tough ACL final first leg, says coach Skorza
Maciej Skorza paid tribute to his Urawa Red Diamonds players for standing up to a dominant Al Hilal SFC in the AFC Champions League 2022 final first leg on Saturday.
Al Hilal looked to be well placed for a resounding victory after taking a 13th minute lead through Salem al-Dawsari but Urawa not only weathered the storm but equalised through Shinzo Koroki to force a 1-1 draw at the King Fahd International Stadium, leaving next week’s second leg tantasilingly poised, AFC reported.
“It was a very tough game against such a good team like Al Hilal but to be honest, I was very disappointed with our performance in the early stages of the first half as we couldn’t keep the ball.
“We became calmer as the match progressed and created some chances through counter attacks but honestly, our intention was to play more offensively,” said Skorza.
The Polish coach said inexperience played a part in Urawa’s hesitant start.
“We have a mix of young and experienced players and we didn’t really know what to expect in the final against a team like Al Hilal.
“The target in the second half was to play a bit higher and force Al Hilal to make mistakes and from that, Koroki scored a very important goal.”
“It is a very good result for us and I have great respect for the Urawa players as they fought till the end despite it being such a tough match.
“This experience was crucial for the players and it was also a learning experience for me as well. We have learnt so much from this for the second leg and we are very hopeful of getting a result at Saitama next week.”
Skorza also paid tribute to the travelling Urawa fans, with several hundred in the stands.
“They never stopped believing in us and were as vocal as they are in Saitama. I would like to thank them on behalf of the team and assure them that we will do our best to win the title.”
Meanwhile, Al Hilal manager Ramon Diaz didn’t hide his disappointment but was adamant that the Saudi giant are still very much in the race to lift the trophy.
Al Hilal paid a heavy price against Urawa Red Diamonds, allowing the Japanese to fight back and losing the talismanic Al Dawsari to a red card.
“We started the match very well, we were good offensively and deservingly scored. However, this is the nature of a final and mistakes can complicate matters,” said Diaz, who had seen his Al Hilal side fall to the same opponents in the 2017 final after settling for a draw in the first leg.
“The final, however, isn’t over yet. This final is over two matches and we will fight till the end.”
Diaz said fatigue wasn’t a reason for Saturday’s result and neither would it be an issue in the return leg.
“We had prepared well for this match and we had chances to win it. We are used to overcoming difficult situations and we will work very hard to recover and be ready for the return leg.”
Diaz admitted his side slightly lost their way after Urawa equalised.
“There was some confusion after Urawa equalised and then came Al Dawsari’s red card (in the 86th minute) but we still had chances to score.
“We haven’t given up hope and will do our best to be Asian champions again.”w