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The National
4 days ago
- Sport
- The National
Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr set for Goa trip while UAE and Saudi clubs to face off in AFC Champions League
Paulo Sousa has been handed a challenging start in his bid to add continental glory to the domestic dominance of his first season in UAE football with Shabab Al Ahli. The UAE Pro League winners will have away trips to each of the Jeddah giants in the league phase of the AFC Champions League Elite, starting on September 15. Meanwhile, in the Asian Champions League 2, the second tier AFC competition, Cristiano Ronaldo and Al Nassr were given an eclectic set of fixtures - including a trip to India to take on FC Goa - in Friday's draw in Kuala Lumpur. The opening round of the Elite competition involves two groups of 12 teams, one for the east zone and one for the west. Each team will play eight matches, and, during the draw, the three UAE sides were each given three games against the all-star sides of the Saudi Pro League. Shabab Al Ahli will start out against Al Ahli Saudi, the side who claimed the Champions League title in formidable style in their home stadium in Jeddah in May. They will also travel to play Ahli's city rivals, Al Ittihad, who won the Saudi Pro League title with the likes of Karim Benzema, Ngolo Kante and Fabinho in their ranks. They will face all three of the Saudi Arabian clubs, with Darwin Nunez and his Al Hilal side set to travel from Riyadh to Dubai to play them. Shabab Al Ahli have never won one of Asia's top titles, but they were runners up – in their previous guise of Al Ahli – in 2015. Under the guidance of Portuguese coach Sousa, Shabab Al Ahli swept all before them in domestic football last season. Coincidentally, it was a UAE club who thwarted their bid to add a continental honour to their league and cup double. Sharjah beat them in the quarter-final of the AFC Champions League Two. Sharjah also qualified for the main event this season, and they will also be faced with away trips to both the Jeddah giants, while hosting Hilal. The third UAE club involved are Al Wahda. The Abu Dhabi club, who have brought in playmaker Dusan Tadic ahead of the new campaign, face the inverse of their compatriots. They will host the two Jeddah clubs, but will travel to Riyadh to face the Simone Inzaghi-coached Hilal side. Ronaldo and Nassr head to Goa The draw for the Champions League Two was dominated by the presence of one club in particular: Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr. The SPL side have been drawn in a group with Al Zarwaa of Iraq, India's FC Goa, and Istiklol Dushanbe of Tajikistan. It has been suggested that the Riyadh giants could field second string sides for their fixtures in the competition, in order to aid their SPL title challenge. However, the prospect of stars of the world game like Ronaldo, Joao Felix and Sadio Mane lining up in front of a frenzied crowd in Goa, in particular, is a captivating one. The Champions League Two trophy is currently in UAE hands. Sharjah became the second UAE side to win a continental title, after two-time elite winners Al Ain, when they beat Lion City Sailors in Singapore in May. They will not defend their crown, though, having won their place in the Elite tournament. Instead, Al Wasl will carry UAE hopes in the second-tier competition. The Dubai side have been drawn in a group with Esteghlal of Iran, Al Muharraq of Bahrain, and Jordan's Al Wehdat.
Irish Times
6 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Times
Joey O'Brien urges Shelbourne players to heal the hurt by progressing in Conference League
Joey O'Brien wants his Shelbourne players to channel their hurt from Europa League defeat into hunting for continental glory elsewhere this year. Shelbourne exited Uefa's second-tier competition on a 4-3 aggregate following a roller-coaster third qualifying round, second-leg clash with Croatian side Rijeka at a rocking Tolka Park on Tuesday night. Ahead following a rousing come-from-behind 2-1 first-leg win on the Adriatic coast last week, Shelbourne found themselves 2-0 down midway through the second half of the return leg to a couple of simply sublime strikes from Toni Fruk and Tiago Dantas. An 86th-minute Mipo Odubeko penalty, awarded after a lengthy VAR check, drew Shelbourne level in the tie before Ante Orec, who had fouled John Martin for the spot kick, won it with a goal right on 90 minutes. READ MORE While the better team emerged victorious, it was a heartbreaking way to lose in front of a raucous home crowd. 'We saw them celebrating [on the final whistle] and we want that in two weeks' time. We'll use this hurt and turn that into hunting,' said head coach O'Brien. 'We're bitterly disappointed but we're still in it [Europe] and we want to go through. Rijeka's Ante Orec (left) celebrates with Tiago Dantas after scoring his sides third goal against Shelbourne at Olka Park. Photograph: Niall Carson/PA Wire 'When we scored the penalty, we had the momentum with us and we had a chance after it and we didn't take ours and they took theirs. 'I felt they had a lot of chances, but they didn't really trouble us too much. And then the [first] goal, it was a bit of quality. The second goal too was a bit of quality.' O'Brien will head to Belfast on Thursday night to get a first-hand view on Shelbourne's next opponents in the Conference League playoffs. That will be either Linfield, whom the Reds knocked out in the Champions League first qualifying round, or Vikingur of the Faroe Islands, with the Irish League champions trailing 2-1 ahead of their second leg at Windsor Park. The winners then enter a playoff for a place in the Conference League league phase and its guaranteed minimum prize fund of €3.8 million. Shelbourne will be at home in the first leg, with the club again hoping to be allowed to stage it at their Drumcondra home rather than moving to Tallaght Stadium. 'We looked fitter, looked stronger towards the end of it,' said O'Brien of his side's improved second-half display. 'The second goal they score, it's an unbelievable shot and an unbelievable goal. Shels' Kerr McInroy dejected after Rijeka scored their second goal at Tola Park. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho 'The lads stuck at it. I was immensely proud of them, how they kept going. We got the peno then late doors and, here, we were ready for a barnstorming finish. We had the chance [through Milan Mbeng] and we didn't take it. They went up and got a little bit of luck, I suppose, with a breaking ball. A good finish. It was a sickener. 'I thought our lads put in a monster effort and were right there at the death, but it wasn't good enough.' One of them was midfielder Kerr McInroy, who had a big chance saved by Rijeka goalkeeper Martin Zlomislic at 1-0 down. 'We're just disappointed with the result,' said the 24-year-old Scot. 'They are a top side and they showed that with the goals. 'We're disappointed to go out, but we are aware that we have another chance to get group stage football in the next couple of weeks. 'They were really good, the goals showed the level and quality they've got. But I thought we did well against them across the two legs. We stopped them playing, but the goals killed us. 'We've enjoyed these last few weeks and it's given us the hunger to go and get more over the next few months. We know we've now got a playoff game to give us the opportunity to do that. 'It's good for me and everyone else to challenge ourselves against different teams, different countries and different levels of players.'
