Spirited Sharjah rejoice after AFC Champions League Two final victory over Lion City Sailors

SINGAPORE – They have had to survive penalty shoot-outs in the last 16 and quarter-finals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League Two. In the semi-finals, Sharjah FC were minutes away from being eliminated by Saudi side Al-Taawoun, before they scored twice in added time to win 2-1 on aggregate.

It was no surprise that the Emirati side brought the same of the never-say-die spirit to the final against Lion City Sailors at Bishan Stadium on May 18. After breaking the deadlock through Firas Ben Larbi in the 74th minute, they were pegged back by Maxime Lestienne in the first minute of added time.

Instead of holding out for extra time, the visitors went for the kill and were rewarded six minutes later when Marcus Meloni’s solo effort sent the 500 away fans, many of whom came dressed in traditional white thobe tunic, into raptures.

Tournament Most Valuable Player Caio Lucas, a 31-year-old forward, admitted to struggling with the humidity as it rained during the match. He said: “It was hard, and some players were getting tired.

“In the second half, when I was sprinting and shooting, I could not see anything and I had to lie down. But we still try our best until the final whistle.”

Fellow Brazil-born Emirati Meloni, a 24-year-old midfielder whose goal helped Sharjah become the first team from the United Arab Emirates to win Asia’s second-tier club competition, said: “We are very happy and proud. This means a lot to the players, the team and the country, because we worked very hard to get this title.

“We were talking about it during dinner one day, about our struggle throughout the competition. I’m happy to score for the team and for the coach, because he deserves this.”

The post-match press conference was gatecrashed by