You can have all the money and star power in the world and even try dirty tactics, but nothing seems to deter Western Sydney who believe they can become the fist A-League club to lift the Asian Champions League trophy.
The Wanderers sent shock waves through Asia on Wednesday after knocking out reigning ACL champions and hot tournament favourites Guangzhou Evergrande to advance to the semi-finals of their maiden campaign.
Western Sydney lost the quarter-final second leg 2-1 in China but went through on away goals following last week’s 1-0 upset win at home.
After the controversy of the first leg at Parramatta Stadium, which resulted in a touch-line ban of Evergrande’s World Cup-winning coach Marcello Lippi and suspensions for key players Goa Lin and Zhang Linpeng, the Wanderers were expecting a hostile atmosphere in China.
But nothing could have prepared them for the pranks some Guangzhou supporters attempted to put them off their game.
Fans were banging on the Wanderers’ hotel doors and calling their rooms in the early hours of the morning before the crucial game while star player Shannon Cole claimed a driver purposely caused their team bus to crash twice on the way to Tianhe Stadium.
Laser beams were also reportedly shone into the players’ eyes during play.
Wanderers gloveman Ante Covic, whose first-half penalty save proved the turning point of the match, said the antics only served to spur the Wanderers on to topple one of Asia’s richest and most successful clubs.
“Last week Guangzhou came to Parramatta, expected to waltz on through and get a result and go home and finish the job and they got a rude shock,” Covic told AAP.
“Everything was against us. We’re in our pre-season, they’re well into their season, the financial statistics speak for themselves.
“Then coming over here and having people running the hallways, banging on our doors and trying to keep us up, having a bus crash on the way there. All this in my opinion is quite dodgy.
“But I think all that just spurred us on.”
The Wanderers survived a steady onslaught from the three-time Chinese Super League champions who scored two late goals through former Italian International Alessandro Diamanti and prolific Brazilian striker Elkeson.
But a cooly-slotted penalty by young-gun Tomi Juric provided the crucial away goal as Lippi sat in the stands smoking a cigar and watching his title defence go up in smoke.
They’ll now meet last year’s runners up FC Seoul in the semi-final first leg in South Korea on September 17 before hosting them a week later.
Adelaide United are the only A-League side so far to have reached the ACL grand final before falling to Gamba Osaka in 2008, but Covic believes the Wanderers have what it takes to go one step further.
“Without question we can do that,” Covic said.
“We’re looking at this semi-final now with a vision of us being in the final.
“We played the Asian champions and got through that. It’s not going to be any easier from here but we definitely do believe that we have the capabilities and the quality and the mental strength to go all the way.”
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