Still, Western Sydney have a claim for being Asia's hardest side to break down. Home or away, no team among the continental elite so readily commits numbers behind the ball. It will be a tantalising struggle. Tie-breaker: Tomi Juric celebrates scoring the only goal of the game. Credit:AFP But the fact that an Australian team has gotten this far, and holds the advantage is a remarkable feat. To win the title, Wanderers' goalkeeper Ante Covic will have to be this good in Riyadh. Truly, he was outstanding. The Wanderers were on the back foot from the moment the ball was kicked off, with lively left-winger Salman Al-Faraj bursting down the left behind Daniel Mullen and finding Salem Al-Dossari, who blasted over from a few metres out. A shot across the bows, literally and figuratively. In the opening half an hour, it was hard to think of a time when the Wanderers managed to get the ball out of their own half, let alone threaten the goal.

They beat a retreat so deep the Red and Black Bloc appeared to make up part of the back four. Nikolai Topor-Stanley slides in to clear the danger. Credit:AFP The tactically savvy Laurentiu Reghecampf had his players stretch the home side all over the park; overlapping runs down the left and right only thwarted by desperate, last ditch defending. Regular observers of the Wanderers will know they have lived a pro-counter-attacking mantra like gospel, but even by their standards, this was almost anti-possession. Al-Hilal's combination of Alfaraj and Abdullah Al-Zori on the left attacked at will. Mullen was regularly having to mark both of them, with Shannon Cole also having to come back to help.

As half-time approached, the Wanderers' half could be best summed up by an attempted defensive clearance which thudded into Mateo Poljak's face. The interval couldn't come quickly enough. But if Tony Popovic had a trump card, it was always Tomi Juric. Just before the hour mark, the talented but brittle striker was changed in for Brendon Santalab. His presence provided an instant spark. Antony Golec might have drawn criticism for some of his recent defending but there could be no doubting the quality of the ball which provided the opportunity for Juric's equaliser. Like a swerving tracer bullet, the cross curved between two defenders and directly to the striker's foot. He just had to make a connection, which he did, and the ball bobbled under the keeper and over the line. Pandemonium in the stands ensued, and suddenly the previous 60 or so minutes counted for nought among those watching on. The smash-and-grab was on.

No sooner had the ball gone in than normal service resumed, and havoc in the Wanderers' penalty box saw Nassar Al-Shamrani blast over. After 10 goals in the competition to this point, "The Earthquake" couldn't make a rumble. Not so for Juric. Handed the ball amid the attention of multiple defenders, he had them spooked. They stood off him as he let fly from distance, crashing the ball into the post. But it is Al-Hilal who may live to regret lost opportunities. With eight minutes left, and the goal unguarded, Al-Zori headed wide and then in injury time, Covic made repeat, super-human saves. Somehow, this amazing fairytale is still alive.