Cosmin Olaroiu has hailed his players for their ‘fantastic’ effort that has seen the Red Knights qualify for the knockout stages of the AFC Champions League for a seventh time in the history of the club.

Needing a point to make the cut, Al Ahli handed out a 4-0 thrashing to Uzbek side PFC Lokomotiv to top Group A of the AFC Champions League. Defender Salmin Khamis opened the scoring on 27 minutes when he headed home an Everton Ribeiro free kick, before the home side extended their lead as the hour approached after Esmail Al Hammadi’s shot struck the post and went in off Lokomotiv goalkeeper Mamur Ikramov.

Ghanaian striker Asamoah Gyan and Ribeiro got their names on the scoresheet with clever finishes in the 72nd and 77th minutes to complete the rout and help Al Ahli remain at the top of Group A with eleven points — the same as Iran’s Esteghlal, who booked their place in the Round of 16 with an away 2-1 win against Al Taawoun, Saudi Arabia.

The win meant Al Ahli’s top spot in the group will see them take on Al Ahli of Saudi Arabia in their next round.

“Before the game, I told my players that they will be justly rewarded for their hard work and sacrifice. They have put in a lot of hard work during the group stages, and considering the situation that we are in at the moment, I think they more than deserve to qualify and represent the UAE at such an important competition,” Olaroiu said.

“Our philosophy at the club has always been that we need to compete and win international tournaments. It is a good thing if a club wins many trophies domestically, but any club who has worthy aspirations needs to show character and class participating in such international level competitions. I cannot thank my players enough for what they have achieved once again,” he added.

Al Ahli first participated in the play-offs for the AFC Champions League in 2002-’03, but they managed to make the main rounds of the competitions starting in 2005, followed by appearances in 2009, 2010, 2014, 2015 and the current edition.

Topping the group helped Al Ahli avoid 2003 Asian champions and traditional rivals Al Ain. “I would prefer to play against Al Ain, but this would not be good for Emirati football as one team would go out. Both our teams are good and it would be a pity to lose one of us so early in the competition. I hope we get the chance to play against them [Al Ain] in the semi-finals, so that one team can be in the final at least,” Olaroiu said.

PFC Lokomotiv coach Andrey Miklyaev was left fuming with his team’s bizarre performance. “This result is something that is hard to accept as we didn’t show any character. This was our worst match of the competition,” Miklyaev said.

“And after the second goal we were completely broken and we just couldn’t continue playing,” he added.

source: GULF NEWS