Urawa to take on Al Hilal in ACL decider

Oct 18, 2017 - 3:37 PM Urawa Red Diamonds will take on Al Hilal from Saudi Arabia in the final of the Asian Champions League, after a goal from Rafael Silva earned the Japanese side a 2-1 aggregate win over China's Shanghai SIPG.

Silva scored 11 minutes into the second leg at Saitama Stadium after the teams had shared a 1-1 draw in their first meeting in Shanghai. It's the first time Urawa will feature in a Champions league final since winning the title in 2007.

"Before the match we knew that we couldn't concede any goals in this game and we told ourselves that we shouldn't be intimidated by our opponent," Urawa captain Yuki Abe said.

"I'm very happy we scored first and we didn't concede any goals. We worked well together.

"It's been 10 years since the last time we were in the final. Until now our focus has all been on SIPG, but we will think about the final now."

Silva's header from Yosuke Kashiwagi's corner put Urawa in front before an impressive rearguard action from Takafumi Hori's men saw off the big spending Chinese Super League club.

Tomoaki Makino could have doubled Urawa's lead just before the hour mark, only for his header to clip the crossbar.

At the other end, goalkeeper Shusaku Nishikawa pulled off a fine double save late in the game to deny Hulk's long-range drive before blocking Elkeson's attempt to net the rebound.

"Today we had a mistake when we were defending at a corner and our advantage in possession wasn't being converted into shots," said Villas-Boas.

"However, our players have tried their best. I appreciate their effort."

Al Hilal confirmed their place in the final with Syrian striker Omar Kharbin scoring twice as the Saudi Arabian club were held to a 2-2 draw by Iran's Persepolis, but advanced with a 6-2 aggregate win.

Source: AAP