Why Aussie soccer great Harry Kewell is on the brink of one of the biggest moments in his glittering career after surpassing Ange Postecoglou

Harry Kewell had asked his Yokohama F.Marinos players to evoke the spirit that once enabled him to become a European Champions League winner as a player.

And how they subsequently pushed their Australian boss to give him the chance for unprecedented glory as a champion coach in Asia.

“We have given ourselves a wonderful opportunity to do something special for this club,” Kewell thundered in Yokohama on Wednesday night after the Japanese giants, reduced to 10 men and hanging on, had somehow won a penalty shootout against Ulsan. to reach the final of the Asian Champions League.

It is also a wonderful opportunity for Kewell, at the age of 45 and after a disappointing start to his managerial career in England’s lower leagues, to prove that he can still be as adept a coach as he is a gifted player in his own right. career. The heyday of Leeds, Liverpool and Socceroos.

On the eve of their semi-final match against the South Korean side, who had to fight back from 1-0 down, Kewell had asked Yokohama to take a leaf out of his Liverpool team’s book. It is known that AC Milan won the Champions League final in Istanbul 3-0 on penalties.

Kewell could only play a small role that night after picking up an injury, but now he has the chance to star in the Asian version against UAE’s Al-Ain, which is ironically managed by Argentinian Hernan Crespo, who arrived for Milan on that famous night in 2005.

Yokohama’s win on Wednesday came amid real adversity as they were unfortunately reduced to ten men five minutes before half-time when sliding defender Takumi Kamijima was sent off for handball, leading to an Ulsan penalty that made it 2-3 and leveled the total score. .

The Socceroos icon recalled how his Liverpool side won the Champions League by coming back from a 3-0 defeat to AC Milan as he took his side to a gritty victory

From then on, Yokohama were constantly on the back foot for almost an hour and a half, with Ulsan hitting the woodwork, with one goal disallowed by VAR and another for offside, as they survived extra time to take the match to penalties. .

Then their Japanese goalkeeper William Popp capped off a magnificent back-to-the-wall effort by making the crucial save from Brazilian Eduardo, allowing them to win the shootout 5-4.

It meant Kewell had achieved what his Australian predecessors Ange Postecoglou and Kevin Muscat had failed to do, having never won a knockout match with Yokohama.

In taking Yokohama to victory, Kewell achieved something his Australian predecessors at the club – Ange Postecoglou (pictured) and Kevin Muscat – could never have done

Indeed, Kewell could become the first manager to lead the Japanese giants to the promised land of a Champions League triumph, with the added lucrative reward of a place in the next expanded FIFA World Club Championship.

“From the moment I came here, everyone has worked very hard to achieve something special,” he said after the match.

“I think it showed them tonight that they believe they can handle any kind of pressure now.”

Arriving in the new year after his last spell in Britain as assistant to Postecoglou at Celtic, Kewell said: “I’m looking forward to continuing the work that Marinos has done over the last five, six years and kind of of contribution has made. in my own gold dust on top.”

Consider the first bit of gold dust well and truly sprinkled…