Al Ahli players celebrate during the quarter-final against Al Hussein on Sunday.
Doha, Qatar: After defeating Al Hussein, Qatar’s Al Ahli are bracing for a strong challenge against Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr, with Julian Draxler saying the team will be ready for Cristiano Ronaldo’s side in the AFC Champions League Two semi-final in Dubai tomorrow.
Younes Ali-coached Al Ahli delivered an impressive performance in a 3-1 victory over Jordan’s Al Hussein in Dubai on Sunday, with the Qatari side now eyeing a spot in the May 16 final against Japan’s Gamba Osaka.
Al Nassr pose their toughest test yet in the continental competition, with the Saudi club advancing to the semi-finals following a 4-0 rout of Al Wasl, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Mane among the scorers.
Draxler acknowledged the magnitude of the challenge but expressed confidence in his side’s ability to pull off the desired result against the Asian giants.
“Obviously it will be a tough match because Al Nassr have a lot of big players, most of whom I already know from my time in Europe,” said the Al Ahli playmaker, who has featured for Schalke 04, Paris Saint-Germain, as well as the German national team.
“We have nothing to lose; we are in the semi-final, so let’s see what we can do. We have had a good campaign and now we are looking forward to the game against Al Nassr and will put all our effort into the semi-final.”
Draxler scored directly from a corner to set up the win against Al Hussein after Yousef Qashi cancelled Erik Exposito’s opener. Michel Vlap wrapped up the victory in stoppage time.
“It was a tough game (against Al Hussein) but a big step for us. We started really well, but after that we had some struggles. All in all, we deserved to win. It was a collective effort, and we are looking to maintain the teamwork to make our fans happy in our first appearance in this Asian competition,” said Draxler.
Al Ahli’s assistant coach Bruno Oliveira expressed his delight after the win over Al Hussein.
“We performed well in both halves of a tough match. We were confident, and the players lived up to our expectations,” he said.
“The team’s motivation deserves credit, and now we will prepare for our next challenge,” Oliveira added.
Meanwhile, Al Nassr will leave no stone unturned in their quest for the title.
“This competition is very important to us. Al Nassr has never won this competition, and no Saudi team has ever won this competition, so we took it seriously from the start,” said their head coach Jorge Jesus after a win over Al Wasl.
