Hernan Crespo said Al Ain deserve to be continental champions, adding the club’s Asian Champions League success was for “all the country”.
The UAE side, the only Emirati club to lift the trophy, defeated Yokohama F Marinos 5-1 in the second leg at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium on Saturday night to take the title 6-3 on aggregate. Al Ain had lost the corresponding fixture in Japan 2-1 two weeks ago.
Both Soufiane Rahimi and Kodjo Laba struck twice, with Kaku notching the hosts’ other goal from the penalty spot. Yan Matheus had scored for Yokohama five minutes before half-time to level the tie at 3-3.
However, the visitors’ hopes of triumphing in their first Champions League final diminished when goalkeeper William Popp was shown a straight red card deep into first-half stoppage time.
The win marked Al Ain’s second Asian crown, and first since 2003. They have been runners-up twice since, in 2005 and 2016.
“We are very proud of this title,” a delighted Crespo said afterward. “We are very proud because we not only represent the club or the city, but all the country. And we are very happy for that. It is really, really difficult to describe all the emotions.
"We deserve this title. Every time when we faced the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and even the finals, as underdogs. At the beginning nobody believed in us, and we did it. These guys, these players, did something big."
Appointed in November, Crespo has masterminded Al Ain’s remarkable run to the title. The Garden City club defeated Saudi Arabian powerhouses Al Nassr and Al Hilal in the quarter-final and semi-final, respectively.
On Saturday, needing from the outset to overturn a one-goal deficit, they opened the scoring on eight minutes through Rahimi and added a second on the half hour via Kaku’s spot-kick.
Rahimi put Al Ain back in front overall on 67 minutes, taking the 2023/24 tournament’s top scorer to 13 goals for the campaign. Laba, a late substitute, then added Al Ain’s fourth and fifth in stoppage time.
Crespo, who tweaked the team's system slightly for the second leg, was interrupted during the press conference by his jubilant players who danced and sang all around him.
“I’m not a genius," the Argentine said. "I tried something different with my staff. But football is dynamic, and we must be ready. Everything is about the players, not about me.
“The only thing I said to the players was we must believe. We have talent to play football on the floor and find corridors and make our passes. And believe in themselves. I think that is the point.
"Trust to do what we did in the training session. But it’s not easy to make something like this performance at this high level in a final. It is difficult to see this superiority in a final, in terms of managing a game. It’s difficult to explain.
"Because I repeat, I’m not a genius. I tried to manage the game. Here, the most important thing is the players. They played with courage, they played with heart. It’s not easy to play these kinds of matches with this personality.”
In winning, Al Ain also qualified for next year’s inaugural, expanded Fifa Club World Cup in the United States. There, Al Ain will make up the 32-team tournament alongside the likes of Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and River Plate.
Again, emphasising his players’ commitment to capturing the Champions League, Crespo added: “They believed in their talent, they believed in the way that we want to play.
“The most important thing is they defended our identity. The identity is the way that we want to play, the way that we’re training every single day.
“They respect the time of every single training session and doing it in a final is not easy. And they did it. The performance was amazing.”
Meanwhile, Yokohama manager Harry Kewell lambasted referee Ilgiz Tantashev for the second-leg defeat, claiming the Uzbek official had been easily swayed by what he described to be Al Ain’s gamesmanship.
"My players were fantastic, it's just a shame that we got robbed tonight by a bad referee," the Australian said. "I thought the refereeing decisions were shocking; they were terrible. They were playing the game and he fell for it. But congratulations to Al Ain.
“The [Yokohama] support has been excellent; they're fantastic to travel the way they did. It's just a shame it wasn't a fair enough game to be able to put on a good show."
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The Saudi Cup race card
1 The Jockey Club Local Handicap (TB) 1,800m (Dirt) $500,000
2 The Riyadh Dirt Sprint (TB) 1,200m (D) $1.500,000
3 The 1351 Turf Sprint 1,351m (Turf) $1,000,000
4 The Saudi Derby (TB) 1600m (D) $800,000
5 The Neom Turf Cup (TB) 2,100m (T) $1,000,000
6 The Obaiya Arabian Classic (PB) 2,000m (D) $1,900,000
7 The Red Sea Turf Handicap (TB) 3,000m (T) $2,500,000
8 The Saudi Cup (TB) 1,800m (D) $20,000,000
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The biog
Place of birth: Kalba
Family: Mother of eight children and has 10 grandchildren
Favourite traditional dish: Al Harees, a slow cooked porridge-like dish made from boiled cracked or coarsely ground wheat mixed with meat or chicken
Favourite book: My early life by Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, the Ruler of Sharjah
Favourite quote: By Sheikh Zayed, the UAE's Founding Father, “Those who have no past will have no present or future.”
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
Going grey? A stylist's advice
If you’re going to go grey, a great style, well-cared for hair (in a sleek, classy style, like a bob), and a young spirit and attitude go a long way, says Maria Dowling, founder of the Maria Dowling Salon in Dubai.
It’s easier to go grey from a lighter colour, so you may want to do that first. And this is the time to try a shorter style, she advises. Then a stylist can introduce highlights, start lightening up the roots, and let it fade out. Once it’s entirely grey, a purple shampoo will prevent yellowing.
“Get professional help – there’s no other way to go around it,” she says. “And don’t just let it grow out because that looks really bad. Put effort into it: properly condition, straighten, get regular trims, make sure it’s glossy.”
Honeymoonish
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Indian origin executives leading top technology firms
Sundar Pichai
Chief executive, Google and Alphabet
Satya Nadella
Chief executive, Microsoft
Ajaypal Singh Banga
President and chief executive, Mastercard
Shantanu Narayen
Chief executive, chairman, and president, Adobe
Indra Nooyi
Board of directors, Amazon and former chief executive, PepsiCo
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20IPAD%20(2022)
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDisplay%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2010.9-inch%20Liquid%20Retina%20IPS%20LCD%2C%202%2C360%20x%201%2C640%2C%20264ppi%2C%20wide%20colour%2C%20True%20Tone%2C%20Apple%20Pencil%201%20support%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EChip%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Apple%20A14%20Bionic%2C%206-core%20CPU%2C%204-core%20GPU%2C%2016-core%20Neural%20Engine%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStorage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2064GB%2F256GB%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPlatform%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20iPadOS%2016%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMain%20camera%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2012-megapixel%20wide%2C%20f%2F1.8%2C%205x%20digital%2C%20Smart%20HDR%203%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EVideo%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204K%20%40%2024%2F25%2F30%2F60fps%2C%20full%20HD%20%40%2025%2F30%2F60fps%2C%20slo-mo%20%40%20120%2F240fps%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFront%20camera%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2012MP%20ultra-wide%2C%20f%2F2.4%2C%202x%2C%20Smart%20HDR%203%2C%20Centre%20Stage%3B%20full%20HD%20%40%2025%2F30%2F60fps%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAudio%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Stereo%20speakers%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBiometrics%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Touch%20ID%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EI%2FO%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20USB-C%2C%20smart%20connector%20(for%20folio%2Fkeyboard)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBattery%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Up%20to%2010%20hours%20on%20Wi-Fi%3B%20up%20to%209%20hours%20on%20cellular%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFinish%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Blue%2C%20pink%2C%20silver%2C%20yellow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EIn%20the%20box%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20iPad%2C%20USB-C-to-USB-C%20cable%2C%2020W%20power%20adapter%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Wi-Fi%20%E2%80%94%20Dh1%2C849%20(64GB)%20%2F%20Dh2%2C449%20(256GB)%3B%20cellular%20%E2%80%94%20Dh2%2C449%20(64GB)%20%2F%20Dh3%2C049%20(256GB)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Stage 2 results
1 Caleb Ewan (AUS) Lotto Soudal 04:18:18
2 Sam Bennett (IRL) Deceuninck-QuickStep 00:00:02
3 Arnaud Demare (FRA) Groupama-FDJ 00:00:04
4 Diego Ulissi (ITA) UAE Team Emirates
5 Rick Zabel (GER) Israel Start-Up Nation
General Classification
1 Caleb Ewan (AUS) Lotto Soudal 07:47:19
2 Sam Bennett (IRL) Deceuninck-QuickStep 00:00:12
3 Arnaud Demare (FRA) Groupama-FDJ 00:00:16
4 Nikolai Cherkasov (RUS) Gazprom-Rusvelo 00:00:17
5 Alexey Lutsensko (KAZ) Astana Pro Team 00:00:19
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Super Saturday results
4pm: Mahab Al Shimaal Group 3 | US$350,000 | (Dirt) | 1,200m
Winner: Drafted, Pat Dobbs (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer).
4.35pm: Al Bastakiya Listed | $300,000 | (D) | 1,900m
Winner: Divine Image, Brett Doyle, Charlie Appleby.
5.10pm: Nad Al Sheba Turf Group 3 | $350,000 | (Turf) | 1,200m
Winner: Blue Point, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.
5.45pm: Burj Nahaar Group 3 | $350,000 | (D) | 1,600m
Winner: Muntazah, Jim Crowley, Doug Watson.
6.20pm: Dubai City of Gold Group 2 | $300,000 | (T) | 2,410m
Winner: Old Persian, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.
6.55pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3 Group 1 | $600,000 | (D) | 2,000m
Winner: Capezzano, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer.
7.30pm: Jebel Hatta Group 1 | $400,000 | (T) | 1,800m
Winner: Dream Castle, Christophe Soumillon, Saeed bin Suroor.
The five pillars of Islam
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Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
