Al Duhail defeated Al Shabab 2-1 on Thursday to advance to the semifinals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League. Harambee Stars captain Michael Olunga scored twice in stoppage time.
In the 77th minute, Olunga scored his first goal by heading Edmilson Junior’s corner past goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu.
After connecting with Ismail Mohammed’s cross from the right late in the second half, the 28-year-old made it 2-0 in the 85th minute.
Saeed Al Rubaie, a defender, delivered a stunning finish after connecting a cross from the light, giving Al Shabab some solace in extra time.
In the opening stanza, Al Shabab enjoyed the majority of the opportunities, but they were unable to go past Salah Zakaria between Al Duhail’s posts.
Olunga had a chance to give Al Duhail the lead in the first half, but his header went wide of the goal.
“It was all about the group, we worked collectively to get the win. It feels great to be part of this history. We knew it was going to be a difficult, high tempo game but we – the players, officials and fans – gave it our all.
“It was a game of two halves. They had chances (in the first half) but they didn’t take them. We had chances in the second half and we took them,” said Olunga
Following their 1-0 victory over Iranian club Foolad on Thursday, four-time champions Al Duhail will now play Saudi Arabia’s reigning champion Al-Hilal in the semifinal on Sunday.
The winner of the game will compete against the Japanese team Urawa Reds in the two-leg final in April and May.