2014 AFC Champions League Final

The first leg was hosted by Western Sydney Wanderers at Parramatta Stadium in Sydney on 25 October 2014.[1]

The game started in a manner that did not reflect the eventual result. Moments after kick off Alfaraj broke into the area on the left flank but couldn't find a team-mate and Western Sydney cleared the ball behind for a corner. Al-Hilal dominated possession and the chances but couldn't find any cracks in the Wanderers defensive armour. Moments before half-time Al Hilal had their best chance of the night after a defensive clearance smashed into Mateo Poljak's face and rebounded for the benefit of Al-Hilal, with Alshamrani being played through on goal but skying his shot.

Supersub Tomi Juric came on in the 58th minute and it took him all of 6 minutes to make his mark on the final, a peach of a cross from Antony Golec on the left wing found Juric up front, the number 9 connecting with a right boot that saw the ball slide under Abdullah Mohammed Al Sudairy to give the Wanderers a priceless goal.

As the clock ticked past the 70 minute mark Juric nearly had a brace, he picked up the ball after Digao over-ran it, and Juric went on a mazy run at the defence. Juric opened up enough space for a placed shot from the edge of the penalty area, which beat the keeper but not the woodwork, the ball bouncing away from the path of Mark Bridge who would have been faced with a tap-in.

Al-Hilal had the better of the match but lacked a truly cutting edge and it proved to be their downfall. Without an away goal to show for their trip, the Wanderers will win the Champions League trophy with a win or draw at the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh. If the Wanderers can continue their streak of scoring in away ACL matches their opponents will need at least three goals to win the tie.[7][8]

The second leg was hosted by Al-Hilal at the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh on 1 November 2014.[3]

In the 18th minute Al Hilal had the first chance of the game, swinging a free kick from the left flank that the Wanderers weren't able to get anything on, thankfully for them neither did one of their opponents, a right boot stuck out but agonisingly distant from making contact.

A minute before half-time the first penalty shout of the night was waved away by Japanese referee Yuichi Nishimura. Inside the area a ball rolled into the path of the flying Nawaf Al-Abed, Antony Golec clipped the right foot of the attacker but the theatrical leap perhaps weighed the incidence in the favour of the Australians.

After the break it was another stonewall penalty turned down, Salman Al-Faraj latching onto a through ball deep in the right corner of the penalty area and was clearly brought down by Ante Covic but wasn't punished for the indiscretion. Another potential penalty came when the ball was kicked at short range into arms of Brendon Santalab, Nishimura judging that it was ball to hand rather than hand to ball.

The Saudi's pushed on and on, pressing for a goal that would take the game into extra time, and it looked for all money like they had one in the 84th minute. A cutback found talismanic striker Yasser Al-Qahtani, his shot from near the penalty spot had no right to be saved but the big hand of Covic found a way. The ball bounced once before spinning out for a corner just inches away from the goalpost. The save was the biggest moment for an Australian keeper since Mark Schwarzer in the famous shootout against Uruguay.

The Wanderers had precious little attack of their own, the best chance coming from a mazy Vítor Saba dribble that released Labinot Haliti, the shot being blocked desperately. Western Sydney didn't need a goal however, an eventual 6 minutes of injury time passed before the final whistle blew and the Wanderers were officially crowned Champions of Asia.

Western Sydney Wanderers coach, Tony Popovic, spoke after the match about the win, saying "we were called a small club yesterday, today we are the biggest in Asia."[9]