AFC Champions League: Sergej Milinkovic-Savic holds key for Al Hilal in box office semi-final against Al Ahli
It is a fallacy that overseas players find every game in the Saudi Pro League a cakewalk. Mainly because there are so many of them in each side. Among the big four clubs – Al Hilal, Al Nassr, Al Ahli Saudi and Al Ittihad – at least, it has come to feel more like an all-star league than a domestic one. That is a large part of the reason their trio of sides have been so dominant in the AFC Champions League Elite this season. In the opening match of the new finals event in Jeddah, Hilal had nine foreign players in the side to face Gwangju, including powerhouses like Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Aleksandar Mitrovic. Al Nassr's forward-line – Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mane and Jhon Duran – is rightly vaunted, but it was their Croatian dynamo Marcelo Brozovic who inspired their thrashing of Yokohama. And Ahli's challenge is led by Algeria's Riyad Mahrez, Englishman Ivan Toney and Ivorian Franck Kessie. Despite the calibre and quantity of imports, one has stood out above the rest. Watching Milinkovic-Savic in Hilal's midfield in particular so often feels like watching men against boys. There were times in Friday's quarter-final when he bulldozed through Gwangju players, then turned around to pick them up and make sure they were OK. He set the tone for this phase of the Champions League in the sixth minute against Gwangju, when he rose at the near post to glance in a Salem Al Dawsari corner. The goals flooded in for the Saudi clubs thereafter. He was named player of the match for another commanding performance. He was their driving force when Hilal won 31 of 34 league matches – drawing the other three – on their way to a Saudi domestic double last season. Maybe his global renown is not greater because he is hidden away from the view of the mainstream while playing in Saudi. The eyes of the world might remain trained on Europe, even though 10 of the 14 best paid players in the world – as per weekly gross salary – are now playing in Saudi. But for a Gulf-based audience, Milinkovic-Savic is hidden in plain sight, playing in front of an extraordinary set of fans, in a league not short of that. The idea that Saudi was trying to buy a football culture when it started its trolley dash for world stars a little over two years ago remains an awkward one. There were over 47,000 Hilal supporters in the stadium for their opening game against Gwangju on Friday night. They haven't just pitched up on the basis of a few glossy stars arriving from overseas in recent seasons. Yes, this tournament is being played in Saudi Arabia. But it is precisely 1,003kms door-to-door from the Kingdom Arena, Hilal's home ground in Riyadh, to the stadium informally known as The Jewel, in Jeddah, where the semi-final is taking place. Travelling in such vast numbers is remarkable, and the atmosphere in Tuesday's first semi-final – between Hilal and Ahli – promises to be electric. While Hilal's fans are exceptional – evidence their Game of Thrones-inspired tifo in the win over Gwangju – they will meet their match in the form of their Ahli counterparts. It was instructive that Matthias Jaissle, Ahli's German manager, and Kessie both referenced their club's supporters in almost every answer they gave in their pre-semi-final briefing – no matter the question. 'I hope it's clear to see the stadium tomorrow is more green than blue, but there are different rules as it is an AFC match, not a league match,' Jaissle said. 'We count on each one to support us, and that they know how grateful we are, and how much I appreciate the support of the fans.' While Hilal were all-conquering domestically last season, and have won Asia's top club competition more than anyone else, Jaissle appeared confident ahead of the encounter. Hilal have stuttered in the league of late, likely surrendering their lead to the other Jeddah giants, Al Ittihad. Their drop off in form included a 3-2 home defeat to Ahli at the end of February. 'Hilal is a club with such a lot of quality and a really professional infrastructure, so, of course, we need to be at our best level,' Jaissle said. 'We know, because of our last league match against them, we can beat them, but everything needs to fit together. 'All the details in all phases of the game need to be precise. Sometimes you also need a bit of luck, and then the extra energy of the fans, which will be there tomorrow for sure.' Kessie, the former AC Milan and Barcelona midfielder for Ahli, echoed his coach's view that Hilal are beatable, no matter their pedigree. 'It is going to be a difficult game and we know that,' Kessie said. 'We are playing against an opponent we know very well. We are ready, with our fans also.'
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