Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Tehran: Islamic Republic of Iran defender Roozbeh Cheshmi has admitted the injury suffered after the first game of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia that subsequently ruled him out of the tournament motivates him to fight even harder for the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 title.
Cheshmi was a rock in the centre of defence as Iran scored late to open their campaign with a 1-0 victory over Morocco in Saint Petersburg, but he was injured before the next game and had to watch from the sidelines as his teammates put in valiant performances against Spain and Portugal.
Team Melli ultimately narrowly missed out on qualification to the next stage to end their and Cheshmi’s dream of a first appearance in the knockout rounds, but the 25-year-old is now back to full fitness and raring to go ahead of UAE 2019.
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Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: The AFC Asian Cup has showcased the Continent’s greatest players over the years, with many making their name in the competition. Next in our '10 of the Best' series, we feature talents who will arrive in the United Arab Emirates full of promise as they get set to make their tournament bow.
Four years ago in Australia, Massimo Luongo was the pick of the bunch as the Socceroo was voted the MVP, while a 20-year-old Sardar Azmoun was twice on the scoresheet for the Islamic Republic of Iran. As the 2019 edition rapidly approaches, here’s a list of 10 more youngsters to keep an eye out for.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: As the 24 teams battle for the Continental crown in January, goals will be the most valuable currency. The-AFC.com kicks off our weekly Asian Cup UAE 2019 series '10 of the Best' with a look at 10 target men whose nations will rely on to deliver the goals.
UAE's Ali Mabkhout nipped the top scorer award in 2015 with five goals. But with the tournament expanded from 16 to 24 teams this time around, the goals race is set to be even more heated. Here are a selection of leading candidates who could take the mantle from the Emirati this January.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: When the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 gets underway next month there will be more than 550 players hoping to have a celebration as the final concludes on February 1, but before that there are plenty amongst that number who will be having a smaller party of their own given that their birthday falls during the four-week extravaganza.
22 of the 24 participating nations will likely have a birthday boy amongst their ranks, with 2007 winners Iraq heading the list given they could potentially have seven players set to blow out the candles should they progress to at least the quarter-finals.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Tehran: Ali Daei believes that the Islamic Republic of Iran and Japan are the most likely contenders to reach the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 final, with the continental competition now less than four weeks away.
The Iranian legend is the tournament’s record goalscorer, having found the back of the net 14 times over three editions, yet the former striker never lifted the trophy for his country, whose wait for the title stretches back to 1976.
But on the back of a strong 2018 FIFA World Cup and with head coach Carlos Queiroz having been in charge for almost eight years, Daei thinks the time could be now for Team Melli, although it is the side from East Asia he considers as favourites.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
New Delhi: When Stephen Constantine leads his Indian team out to face Thailand in their opening game of the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 on January 6 he will be looking for a little bit of personal payback.
The Englishman, who has been in charge of the Indian side since January 2015, will be going head-to-head with Thailand coach Milovan Rajevac for the first time in almost a decade, with the experienced Serb having come out ahead the last time they met.
“He is a very good coach and has great experience, I faced him a few years ago when he was in Ghana and I was with Sudan, he won that game 2-0 so I’m looking to even up the score,” Constantine told the-AFC.com.
“But I would like to remind you that he had Michael Essien, Mathew Amoa and a few other very good players.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: The-AFC.com roams around social media to see what the continent's stars have been up to with just over two weeks to go until the AFC Asian Cup kicks-off.
Excitement is building up, love is in the air and there were celebrations of success and throwbacks to childhood years. All in this week's social wrap, with posts from Syria, Japan, Qatar and India.