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A fitting finale for the Asian Champions League

2nd November, 2009
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2nd November, 2009
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South Korea's Pohang Steelers's Song Chang-ho, right, is tackled by Qatar's Umm Salal's Ben Askar during an AFC League Semi Final first leg soccer match in Pohang, South Korea, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2009. AP Photo/Yonhap, Lee Sung-hyong

South Korea's Pohang Steelers's Song Chang-ho, right, is tackled by Qatar's Umm Salal's Ben Askar during an AFC League Semi Final first leg soccer match in Pohang, South Korea, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2009. AP Photo/Yonhap, Lee Sung-hyong

Let’s get the negative stuff out of the way first: hosting the final of the Asian Champions League as a one-off clash at the National Stadium in Tokyo is a mistake. No matter how much officials wish otherwise, Asia and Europe are not the same.

The Asian Football Confederation’s decision to revert to a one-off Champions League final at a neutral venue – based mainly on the fact that it’s how things are done in Europe – smacks of an inferiority complex.

Blind Freddy could have pointed that out, but for good measure I did likewise in an editorial for Goal.com way back in December of last year.

However, apart from the decision to switch from a two-legged final to a one-off Tokyo showdown, the match itself has all the ingredients for a fascinating affair.

For all the recent talk of Japanese teams dominating Asian football, perhaps it’s time to credit Saudi side Al-Ittihad, who are making their third appearance in the final of the rebranded AFC Champions League.

Led by the redoubtable Mohammed Noor, Al-Ittihad charged into the final on the back of an 8-3 aggregate thrashing of Nagoya Grampus in the semi-finals.

Admittedly the complexion of that tie changed dramatically when Nagoya defender Akira Takeuchi was sent off just seven minutes into the first leg in Jeddah, but Al-Ittihad still had the wherewithal to make the tie safe by trampling ten-men Nagoya in the second half.

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Meanwhile, few expected Korean Republic side Pohang Steelers to reach the final – although as regular Roar reader Ryan Steele has pointed out, perhaps that was a harsh assessment.

Pohang are regular trophy winners in South Korea – lifting the K-League as recently as 2007 – but with the likes of big-spending FC Seoul, Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma and regional heavyweights Suwon Samsung Bluewings all possessing star-studded squads, Sergio Farias’ team have slipped under the radar.

With seven-goal Brazilian striker Denilson up front and tenacious skipper Hwang Jae-Won at the heart of the defence, the club from the coastal town of Pohang aim to become the second South Korean side since Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors to lift the new-look Champions League crown.

Much has changed since Jeonbuk won the Champions League back in 2006, in a year in which they originally tried to pull out of the competition – citing the high cost of competing.

The Champions League still has plenty of critics, with the sheer distance teams are forced to travel for midweek fixtures the most obvious complaint.

Nevertheless, there’s little doubt that the tournament has grown in prestige, and the inclusion of Australian teams has played its part.

It’s a shame that so much of the focus of this year’s final will be on the attendance, although that’s no surprise given that only around 5,000 tickets had been sold at the time of writing.

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Officials will also hope that the pitch holds up for this showpiece occasion, after the National Stadium hosted not only Australia’s Bledisloe Cup match against the All-Blacks on October 31, but also Japan’s domestic League Cup final on November 3.

Whatever the playing conditions, Al-Ittihad will be out to restore some local pride – after the Saudi national team missed out on qualifying for the World Cup finals for the first time since Italia ’90.

They won’t have things all their own way against a battle-hardened Pohang, in what could prove a classic case of east versus west, as the industrious Steelers look to match up against their physically imposing Saudi opponents.

The nature of knock-out football ensures that it’s not always the most consistent sides that reach the final.

But in this case, few could argue that At-Ittihad’s match-up with Pohang represents a fitting finale to this season’s Asian Champions League.

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