Dubai: Al Ahli coach Cosmin Olaroiu is refusing to relax despite his side earning a 1-0 win away to Naft Tehran in the first leg of their AFC Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday.
Rodrigo Lima headed in Everton Ribeiro’s corner on 62 minutes to take a solid away-goal advantage into the return leg at Rashid Stadium on September 16.
However, their Romanian tactician said an historic place in the competition’s last four was far from certain.
“There are still 90 minutes remaining and it’s not going to be easy,” he said. “We know how strong Naft are with free-kicks and set-pieces, so we shouldn’t think that we are past this stage by now.”
Goalscorer Lima, who signed from Benfica for €7m (Dh29 million) in the summer, echoed those sentiments, saying: “It was a tough game, so congratulations to the team who fought hard for this victory. But we haven’t achieved our goal yet, we have to remain focused as we still have one game left back in Dubai.
“We won the first half of this game but the second half is back home in two weeks and we don’t expect an easy game. Naft is a very strong team both mentally and physically, so to qualify we will have to keep focused and concentrate.”
Al Ahli striker Ahmad Khalil added: “We did well. Tehran were tough but we tried to close all gaps and didn’t give them much space. But we must focus on the second leg and not rest on our laurels. We shouldn’t underestimate them. The job is far from over.”
Red Knights’ team manager Abdul Majed Hussain said: “Al Ahli didn’t start well because the crowd was against them and the pitch was poor, but over time they gained control and superiority over their hosts.
“We’ve succeeded in achieving the first objective, which will give us an advantage in the second leg. But we will continue to face difficulties.
“In football there are no easy games. It’s true we now have the best chance of qualifying for the semi-final, but Tehran remain strong and stubborn and we expect them to fight to keep their chances of qualifying alive.”
With Al Ahli being the only UAE club left in the competition, Red Knights chairman Abdullah Al Naboodah turned to social media to appeal to the whole country to get behind his side in the second leg.
Meanwhile, Naft Tehran’s coach Ali Reza Mansourian refused to give up hope despite his side’s first leg defeat.
“We conceded a goal due to my players being careless,” he said. “That is what I was afraid of during the whole 90 minutes.
“Al Ahli were smarter than us and managed to score a goal. We lost the first leg, but we have some time to work out our weaknesses and instruct our players — especially the younger ones — on some factors to get everyone ready for the second leg.”
Al Ahli have never reached the semi-final of this tournament, having failed to get out of the group in four previous appearances. Naft, however, are on an impressive debut run in this competition, having reached the last eight in their first appearance.
In the other quarter-final first legs, Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal beat Qatar’s Lekhwiya 4-1 at home, China’s Guangzhou Evergrande beat Japan’s Kashiwa Reysol 3-1 away, and Japan’s Gamba Osaka held South Korea’s Jeonbuk Motors to a goalless draw. Al Ahli or Naft will play the winners of Al Hilal and Lekhwiya in the semi-final.
