On Tuesday night, the Club World Cup gathered three Arab teams at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar.
While Al-Sadd, the hosts, got completely battered by Esperance Tunis, it was Saudi side Al-Hilal, the Asian champions, who produced an impressive display against Brazilian Flamengo.
A Saudi team impressing in Qatar? Yes.
Just a couple of weeks after the Saudi national team lost in the Gulf Cup final in Qatar, it was A-Za’im, the country’s number one club, who was very close to the sensation of the year.
During the first half, Hilal controlled the game completely against a much better opponent. The Blues were dynamic, dangerous and created chances. Salem Al-Dawsri looked like the player all the Arab world expected him to be, Bafetimbi Gomis intimidated Flamengo’s defenders and Sebastian Giovinco reminded the world why he was used to be called ‘The Atomic Ant’. In addition, Yasser Al-Shahrani, Mohamed Al-Burayk and Ali Al-Bulayhi were stable as rocks at the back line.
The first half, which ended in 1-0 lead to the Saudis, could have easily end in a bigger result unless the shocking open goal miss by Gomis and the inaccuracy by Giovinco.
Razvan Lucesco, the Romanian coach of Al-Hilal, had a difficult task to try and keep the lead for more than 70 minutes. It worked for the first half, but the second one was a complete different story.
Bruno Henrique and Gabigol turned up more focused for the latter part of the game, and it was exactly then that the professional gaps between the two sides prevailed. Coach Jorge Jesus, Al-Hilal’s legendary ex, has managed to press his former team into achieving a comeback. In fact, Jesus faced the team the he built large parts of, with Gomis, Giovinco and André Carillo. He knew how to guide his defenders to stop Hilal’s flamboyant trio.
The match ended in a 3-1 loss for Al-Hilal, but they have nothing to be ashamed of. They managed to keep up the play with a much better and stronger rival for the majority of the match. They played aggressively and with intensity that we would usually expect from a Brazilian or an Argentinean side. In the end, Flamengo are among the top teams in the world at the moment and the level differences are still present. Still, Al-Hilal’s fans can be proud. Their team has represented Asian, Arab and Middle Eastern football with honor and style.