Kewell and Crespo’s Asian Champions League showdown marks end of era

kewell and crespo’s asian champions league showdown marks end of era

Hernán Crespo and Harry Kewell embrace before the first leg of this year’s AFC Champions League final. Photograph: Eugene Hoshiko/AP

It’s hard to look past the 2005 Champions League reunion of Harry Kewell and Hernán Crespo as they meet in the second leg of the final of the Asian version on Saturday. The Argentinian scored twice in Istanbul and yet left empty-handed while Kewell famously limped off when it was all going wrong for Liverpool but still has that winner’s medal. There’s more to the game however, on and off the pitch.

Crespo and Al-Ain welcome Yokohama F Marinos and their Australian manager to the United Arab Emirates. The Japanese team have a 2-1 lead from the first leg that took place two weeks ago at the Nissan Stadium. Crespo never won a Champions League as a player but overcoming that one goal deficit would surely set him on a course back to Europe.

It would be the end of a meandering route. After brief coaching spells in Italy, Crespo really got started in South America, winning trophies in Argentina and then Brazil. He did the same after moving to Qatar, clinching the league title with Al-Duhail. A move to Al-Ain, Asian champions in 2003 and then runners-up on two more occasions, was still something of a sideways step at the time but the continental title would confirm the 48-year-old as one of the hottest coaching properties outside the big leagues of Europe.

Kewell also started out in Europe but his coaching career stalled down in the fifth tier. Taking over Crawley Town in League Two in 2017, there were shorter and sourer spells at Notts County and Oldham Athletic before seven winless games in charge of Barnet in the National League ended with the sack in 2021.

To go from there to the Asian Champions League final is quite a turnaround. Ange Postecoglou played a big part in two ways. The first was giving his compatriot a coaching job at Celtic in 2022. The second came from the current Spurs boss leading Yokohama to the 2019 J-League title in thrilling style. Upon his departure to Scotland two years later, Big Ange recommended Big Kevin Muscat. When this second Australian carried on the good work, winning the 2022 championship before leaving last December, the Kanagawa club made it three in a row from down under and appointed Kewell. And here he is, winning games in Asia, taking the five-time Japanese champions to a first final, and making a name for himself with his aggressive, attacking football.

A win is not just a gamechanger for the career trajectories of the two coaches but for the clubs too. The Asian title grants entry to the expanded 2025 Fifa Club World Cup in the United States and a reported potential windfall of up to $50m. Such an amount would be gratefully accepted by the big-spending Saudi Arabian clubs. Al-Hilal, with a record number of four Asian championships, were favoured to make it five, but their world-record winning streak of 36 was ended by Al-Ain in the semi-finals. Crespo’s men also saw off Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr in the round before. Saudi Arabia should, however, have a better chance of winning next season.

The rebranded and revamped AFC Champions League Elite promises more money and fewer teams. It was also announced by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) late last year that, from the quarter-final stage, all the games will take place in Saudi Arabia. “The [Saudi Arabian Football Federation] was selected as the eventual host after evaluating the infrastructure and accommodation requirements, as well as all other key operational aspects needed to stage a tournament befitting the prestige and stature of the continent’s newly revamped premier club competition,” the AFC said, adding that the arrangement is in place for two years and, subject to a successful review, another three.

The development has largely gone unremarked upon, perhaps not surprising in an age when many of the big tournaments are held in the west of the continent almost as a matter of course. The Asian Cup was held in the UAE in 2019, then Qatar and in 2027 will take place in Saudi Arabia. The U-23 Asian Cup has just been held in Qatar. There is disquiet among the powers of the east who have seen influence drift away from Beijing, Seoul and Tokyo towards Riyadh, Doha and Abu Dhabi but in terms of financial promises and guarantees, there is no competition.

It also means the end of two-legged finals. For the sake of atmosphere it is to be hoped that a Saudi Arabian team does go all the way, otherwise there is a real possibility of the continent’s biggest club trophy being presented in front of a half-empty, at best, stadium. Asia has never done neutral venue club finals well. That means this Saturday, a capacity crowd at Al-Ain is to be savoured. It will be an unforgettable night for one of the teams, the end of an era in Asian club football and the next step on two fascinating coaching journeys.

OTHER NEWS

34 minutes ago

Trudeau points to “concerns” with NSICOP report on foreign interference

34 minutes ago

Video: Chris Billam-Smith exacts his revenge on Richard Riakporhe with flawless unanimous points victory to retain WBO cruiserweight title - five years on from his split-decision defeat

38 minutes ago

Radio presenter Zanele Mbokazi shared an inspirational story after life changing diagnosis

38 minutes ago

Bajwa slams AAP govt over power tariff hike

39 minutes ago

NSW jojoba farmers turn crop with disastrous past into golden opportunity in skincare market

41 minutes ago

Intel's inching closer but it still doesn't have an answer to its Raptor Lake problem

41 minutes ago

Huge change for Sydney renters

41 minutes ago

Lots of ‘misinformation’ surrounding nuclear energy: James Morrow

41 minutes ago

'Don't boo me, I'm sorry'

41 minutes ago

U.S. Open 2024: Bryson DeChambeau has hilarious exchange with crowd after deciding to lay up: 'Please don't boo me'

41 minutes ago

Bridgerton star Adjoa Andoh in tears after meeting runaway mums with 'suitcase and bag of nappies'

41 minutes ago

Pirates place young catcher on concussion IL

43 minutes ago

Trump encourages voters to write ‘no tax on tips’ on restaurant receipts

47 minutes ago

Joe Alwyn DENIES visiting London pub ex Taylor Swift mentions in her song The Black Dog - as he breaks silence on their split

47 minutes ago

Tories claim Keir Starmer will use satellites to force home owners with gardens to pay higher council tax under a new 'Big Brother' scheme if they are given the keys to Downing Street

49 minutes ago

Detroit pastor thanks Trump for visiting ‘the hood' as Biden, Obama who ‘never came’ attend LA fundraiser

49 minutes ago

‘We offer the most ambitious change’: Ed Davey vows to push a Labour government for radical action

49 minutes ago

What the papers say – June 16

49 minutes ago

Shane Lowry hangs tough to survive testing round at US Open as Tom McKibbin sparkles

49 minutes ago

Government of National Unity: ANC-DA-IFP – Will it work? Have YOUR say!

49 minutes ago

Outback caravan owners turning their idle RVs into money-making side hustles

49 minutes ago

Saudi Arabia may be Israel's only lifeline out of the war

49 minutes ago

Arsenal must now cash in on 30m star whos never getting past Havertz

49 minutes ago

Popular corn chips recalled from hundreds of stores in Victoria over undeclared allergen

49 minutes ago

Destiny CEO Sohail Prasad talks investing in private companies like SpaceX

49 minutes ago

Yabbie and honey producers worried following change to pesticide spraying regulations

49 minutes ago

DeChambeau a one-man show at Pinehurst, leads U.S. Open by three

49 minutes ago

‘Sit down’: Sydney coach explains bizarre benching of ‘fantastic’ nine-goal hero

49 minutes ago

"Since that day nobody pushed Patrick Ewing around" - Knicks legend sent a message by punching Bill Laimbeer during Olympic tryouts

51 minutes ago

Search for missing boater near Oak Street Beach shifts to recovery

53 minutes ago

Horror as high flying fire lieutenant, 46, shoots dead his financial advisor wife, 34, and himself in grisly murder-suicide

53 minutes ago

Bikini-clad Olivia Dunne is joined by Xandra Pohl for lavish Hamptons getaway... just days after Miami DJ sparked romance rumors with NFL star

54 minutes ago

Homes in at least 16 counties affected by defective concrete as concerns raised over EU safety standard

54 minutes ago

Rory McIIroy must hunt down dominant Bryson DeChambeau in US Open to end major drought

55 minutes ago

Commanders Lose Kicker Target To Lions

55 minutes ago

Biden creates path for hundreds of thousands of undocumented migrants to gain legal status

55 minutes ago

A bank doled out $19 million to two executives just to keep them from walking away—but there are strings attached

55 minutes ago

Vikram Rathour quashes 'disciplinary issues' rumours, reveals reason for Shubman Gill, Avesh Khan's release from T20 WC

55 minutes ago

NBA Finals 2024: Takeaways from a stunning Mavericks blowout

55 minutes ago

Sunak was 'briefed' after Russian submarine detected near UK coast