Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Doha: With a new season in Qatar looming large, and knockout stage action in the AFC Champions League set to resume next week, Al Duhail SC star and AFC Asian Cup 2019 winner Almoez Ali has declared that both he and his teammates are fully focused on winning as much silverware as possible in the weeks and months to come.
Al Duhail are scheduled to meet rivals Al Sadd SC over two legs in the AFC Champions League Round of 16 on August 6 and 13, before facing the same opponents when their latest domestic campaign gets underway with the Qatari Super Cup on August 17.
Despite the hectic nature of football’s modern-day calendar, Ali has targetted nothing but success for the side which finished as runners-up to Al Sadd in last season’s Qatar Stars League standings, but exacted a degree of revenge by comprehensively claiming the Amir of Qatar Cup title.
www.the-afc.com/en/more/photo/almoez_ali_-_afc_asian_cup_2019_-_japan_vs_qatar_2.html
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Baghdad: Al Zawraa Club have claimed the 2018-19 Iraq FA Cup title thanks to a narrow 1-0 win over Al Kahrabaa in Baghdad.
A late Safaa Hadi header proved the difference at the Al Shaab Stadium as Al Zawraa, who featured in this season’s AFC Champions League group stage, won the competition for the 16th time.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Riyadh: Saudi Arabia champions Al Nassr have received an early boost to their 2019 AFC Champions League hopes after renewing Moroccan striker Abderrazak Hamdallah's contract until 2022.
Hamdallah, 28, played a vital role as Al Nassr edged Al Hilal by just one point to win the 2018-19 Saudi Pro League title.
The Moroccan scored 49 goals in all competitions, and bettered the 19-year-old Saudi Pro League topscorer record held by Hamza Edris for 19 years with a phenomenal 34 goals.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Villach: Al Hilal SFC’s pre-season tour of Europe ended in fine fashion on Wednesday as two separate sides representing the Saudi giants secured impressive victories.
In the day’s earlier game, Jonathan Soriano’s brace along with goals from Mohammed Al Shalhoub, Nasser Al Dawsari, Omar Khrbin, Hatan Bahbri and Ahmad Sharaf saw a largely second-string Al Hilal side run out 7-1 winners against NK Brine Grosuplje who play in Slovenia’s third tier.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Ibaraki: Kashima Antlers will be targeting revenge when they face Guangzhou Evergrande in the quarter-finals of the 2019 AFC Champions League, with Shoma Doi determined to turn the tables on the Chinese side following elimination by the same opponents in the 2017 edition.
Doi played in both legs when Kashima slid out at the Round of 16 phase at the hands of the Chinese Super League club – and two-time AFC Champions League winners – as Antlers continued a dismal record of failing to advance to the last eight for the fourth time since 2009.
But, with their confidence since boosted by their first-ever title win last year, Doi is convinced he and his teammates can avenge that loss and keep alive their dream of claiming back-to-back AFC Champions League crowns.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Shanghai: Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors coach Jose Morais will pay no attention to the history books as he prepares his team for the second leg of their 2019 AFC Champions League Round of 16 meeting after seeing them held to a 1-1 draw by Shanghai SIPG on Wednesday.
The two teams shared the spoils in the first leg in Shanghai in their previous meeting in the knockout rounds of the competition – then it was the quarter-finals – in 2016 before Jeonbuk went on to hand the Chinese Super League side a 5-0 thrashing before going on to eventually win the title.
But Morais, who replaced long-term coach Choi Hang-hee at the start of the season, was refusing to take any cues from the past after seeing SIPG’s Wang Shenchao cancel out Moon Seon-min’s first minute opener to leave the tie delicately poised.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Doha: Spain and Barcelona great Xavi has declared that he is looking to repeat the incredible success he enjoyed as a player in his new role as head coach of Qatar giants Al Sadd SC.
The two-time FIFA World Cup winner retired from competitive football in May following a stellar career which also saw him claim a plethora of Spanish La Liga and UEFA Champions League crowns.
Having bowed out on a high thanks to 2018-19 Qatar Stars League title success as a player with Al Sadd, the 39-year-old is adamant that his thirst for silverware remains the same as his charges prepare for a new domestic campaign and knockout stage action in the 2019 AFC Champions League.