A second half strike from Tomi Juric gave the Western Sydney Wanderers a 1-0 win in the first leg of the Asian Champions League final against Al-Hilal.
A record Parramatta Stadium crows of 20,053 packed into the Wanderers fortress for the first leg of the 2014 AFC Champions League. Facing the Red & Black were the "Blue Wave" of Al Hilal from Saudi Arabia. With billionaires looking on from the corporate boxes the first leg the Wanderers took a giant leap towards lifting the crown of Champions of Asia.
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 Anthony Golec found the tall timber up front, the big number 9 connecting with a boot that saw the ball slide under Abdullah Mohammed Al Sudairy to give the Wanderers a priceless goal to take on the long trip to the Middle East for the second leg.
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.
The Wanderers next match is the second leg of the AFC Champions League final, against Al-Hilal at the King Fahd International Stadium, Riyadh. Kick-off is at 4:30am on Sunday the 2nd of November.
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