Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: Following nine consecutive victories in the AFC Champions League, Al Duhail are on par with Ulsan Hyundai and one step away from writing history, join the-AFC.com as we summon up the winning streaks of the two giants.
Ulsan Hyundai recorded a historic run of nine successive wins in the AFC Champions League six years ago and ended up taking the title home.
Now Al Duhail have matched the high of the Korean side, yet the teams took different paths in setting their records, and the Qatari club could well go on and extend their run.
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Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: Winning a first leg does not always mean a straight route to the next round, and the AFC Champions League quarter-finals have seen some memorable comebacks over the years.
The first leg of the 2018 AFC Champions League quarter-finals produced two wins for the home sides and as many for visitors. But the competition's history shows the four winners there can be no room for complacency following a first leg victory.
The quarter-finals were introduced in the AFC Champions League back in 2004, and since then we have witnessed some iconic returns after disappointing first leg ties, the-AFC.com recalls three extraordinary comebacks ahead of the second legs.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: The first leg of the 2018 AFC Champions League quarter-finals saw some high impact debuts across the continent, we look back into the archives to pick four of the best performances by newcomers from the history of the ACL's last eight.
Whethere it was the goals of Kashima Antlers' Serginho and Han Eui-kwon of Suwon Samsung Bluewings, or the midfield performance by Al Sadd's Gabi and Jung Woo-yung, there were impressive first outings for a number of footballers in Asia as the AFC Champions League re-commenced after the three month break.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Doha: Qatar’s Al Duhail matched Ulsan Hyundai’s record of nine AFC Champions League wins in a row in the first leg of the quarter-final, but Persepolis will return to the Islamic Republic of Iran confident they can overcome the 1-0 deficit and advance to a second successive semi-final.
When Almoez Ali headed home in the 15th minute, thoughts of Al Duhail’s resounding win over Al Ain in the previous round were not too far away. However, the Iranian giants dug deep to leave the tie firmly in the balance ahead of the second leg in Tehran in two weeks’ time.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: Baghdad Bounedjah's brace in the AFC Champions League quarter-final first leg against Esteghlal took him to 11 goals for the 2018 edition, just two off the record. We look back at the four men still ahead of the Algerian and those still in the hunt.
When Dalian Shide's Hao Haidong was crowned the first top scorer of the AFC Champions League era in 2003, few might have expected it would take six years before anyone could break his record of nine goals in a single tournament.
In 2009, Leandro's Gamba Osaka was the first to do so by getting into double digits, with his tally being surpassed by five other men since.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Shanghai: High-profile club coaches from across Asia including several from the AFC Champions League quarter-finalists gathered in Shanghai today for the AFC’s Third Elite Club Coaches Forum.
Two-time UEFA Champions League winner Paulo Sousa, now coach of Chinese Super League club Tianjin Quanjian, who face Japan’s Kashima Antlers in the East Zone, was among the attendees.
Also joining the Forum was Choi Kang-hee, manager of another quarter-finalist Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC of Korea Republic and AFC Coach of the Year 2016 as well as Branko Ivankovic, the highly-experienced Croatian coach of Persepolis FC, from the West Zone who are involved in a tight game against Al Duhail of Qatar.
Winfried Schafer, the coach of Islamic Republic of Iran’s other quarter- finalists Esteghlal, who are facing Qatar’s Al Sadd, completed the four attending AFC Champions League representatives.
They were joined by coaches from Australia, Japan and China PR including Shanghai SIPG coach Vitor Pereira and Shanghai Shenhua’s Wu Jingui.
Other Chinese Super League representatives were Chris Coleman, who led Wales to the semi-finals of Euro 2016 and now coaches Hebei China Fortune and Li Xiaopeng of Shandong Luneng Taishan.
AFC Technical Director, Andy Roxburgh, who will lead the two-day event, said: “These Forums are so valuable because it allows the sharing of views and experience from across Asia.
“For the second year in succession we have coaches from the West and East Zones of the AFC’s flagship Champions League and it showed last year that some of the challenges they face are extremely similar.
“This Forum is now established as one of the most important for exchanging ideas and opinions in Asian club football. The beauty is that the coaches themselves direct the agenda and direction of discussion.
“This year we will have the opportunity to consider many elements of the game and also the chance to look in detail at tactical and logistical innovations from the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia and how it impacts a club coach.”
From the original gathering in 2016 only Kevin Muscat, coach of Melbourne Victory, has been a constant. He said: “Every year we learn of the pressures on individual coaches and how they deal with those pressures. Coaching can often be an isolating job so sharing experiences in this Forum is vital.’
Also in attendance, for the first time,are a group of elite coaches from the Chinese FA including several former national team coaches such as former Manchester City, Crystal Palace and China PR defender Sun Jihai.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Doha: Al Sadd captain Xavi Hernandez believes that his side have taken an important step towards the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League, following the 3-1 win away victory over Esteghlal in the first leg of the quarter-finals.
Speaking exclusively to the-AFC.com, Xavi expressed his satisfaction with the team's performance at the Azadi Stadium, adding that Al Sadd were much better than their hosts.
"I think we did well but there's one more game," said the 38-year-old World Cup winner. "It could be just 90 minutes or it could even go to extra time. We don't know; in football, we never know.
"At least, we did a really good job in Tehran. It was a very good performance and I think we were much better than Esteghlal, especially in the second half. Also, in the first half, we could have scored at least one goal."