'Beginning of a new era' for spirited Sharjah

They have had to survive penalty shoot-outs in the last 16 and quarterfinals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League.

- David Lee

They have had to survive penalty shoot-outs in the last 16 and quarterfinals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League. Two semi-finals, and quarter-finals. 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 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, admitted to struggling with the humidity as it rained during the match. He said: "It was hard, and some players were getting tired.