13 November 2021
Newcastle, Australia

Welcome to our special coverage of the AFC Champions League Final. Join me as we update you on the epic match between Newcastle Jets and Al-Rayyan. Both teams have run the gauntlet and are deserved finalists in the 2021 AFC Champions League. The scene is set, the crowd is in, and we are ready for FOOTBALL!!!!!!!

AFC Champions League Final

Like Newcastle, Qatar side Al-Rayyan have never won the Champions League. One of us will come away with the trophy, and one will come away with tears. I know which side of that equation I want to be on!

I want to win this game for the fans. This could be one of my last games for the club as I feel I have done all I can do here and if an offer comes my way.

Veteran centre-back Tamaz Danelia has been identified as a key opponent for us to neutralize

Al-Rayyan have a home final at Ahmed bin Ali Stadium. It looks a picture, and in four hours time will be the cauldron in which dreams are made.

We field the best side we can for this match. “C.K” has dropped back to Regista and “The Count” has taken his place at Advanced Play-maker.

First Half

We begin well and look in control. It takes a while to turn the dominance into points. We keep plugging away and the goal finally comes from a “Mr Li” corner. “Boothie” pulls away at the near post and powerfully heads the corner into the top corner of the net.

The Half-time stats show how commanding we have been in this match. Despite our control of the game we have only “Boothie” Booth’s goal to show for it. I swap “C.K” and “The Count” for the start of the second half as I look for “C.K.”‘s mobility further forward, and “The Counts” passing from deeper positions.

Second Half

The positional change brings immediate results as a great pass from “The Count” bisects the defense. “Mr Li” is onto the ball and one-on-one with the keeper there can be only one result. “Mr Li” does not miss those. That seems to open the floodgate as first “Dobbie”  and then “C.K” find the back of the net just after the hour mark.

A cross from “Eyetie” is not dealt with by the defense and “Dobbie” needs no second invitation, blasting the ball home from about 6 yards out. From a free-kick the ball falls to “Family Man” who drops the ball into the path of “C.K.” who lashes the ball through a clump of bodies and into the net. From that point it was simply a case of marking time until the Ref brought proceedings to a close.

Full Time stats show a continuation of the total domination. To be fair, Suwon were tougher opposition and I think that whoever won our semifinal would have won the title.

So there you have it. We are the Champions!

Sit back and enjoy the highlights of a truly amazing match!

The fans are happy with the result. So are the board, the press, and even Mrs Murphy of 19B! The only thing now is I am committed to staying with the Jets until December for the FIFA Club World Cup.

Next Episode

After the high of this campaign we come back down to earth when we have a month of league games. The good thing is we are now back to only one game a week. Tune in next time to see how we get on.