Less than three years after being created, the pride of Sydney’s west, the Western Sydney Wanderers are Asian champions after a 0-0 draw against Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal in the second leg of the final at Riyadh.
The lone goal of the final by young gun Tomi Juric at Parramatta last week was enough for the Wanderers to win the prize after holding Al-Hilal scoreless for 90 minutes before a noisy crowd of 65,000 fans – all but 14 of them Al-Hilal supporters..
Goalkeeper Ante Covic was one of the main heroes for the Wanderers with many crucial saves during the match proving critical in ensuring the 1-0 win in Parramatta was sufficient to win the title.
Coach Tony Popovic called winning the Asian Champion League title the proudest moment of his coaching career.
But there could be even bigger honours down the track as the club has now qualified to play in the world club champions challenge, including possibly facing the might of Real Madrid.
In any case, the team will get a massive welcome when it arrives back in Sydney.
