Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Bekasi: Saudi Arabia head coach Khalid Abdullah Atawi was a happy man after his side became the second team to secure a place in the AFC U-19 Championship Indonesia 2018 knockout stage.
The West Asians join Group B leaders Japan as sides to have already stamped their ticket to the quarter finals, after they defied monsoonal rain to beat now eliminated China PR 1-0, thanks to Abdulmohsen Al Qahtani's late goal.
"It was a great match and the Chinese team was very, very strong. They played very well and showed a lot of skill during the match," Abdullah Atawi said in reflection.
"The circumstances of the weather affected our performance. We had hoped we'd be better than this but this situation is what affected us, but we got the points and that's the most important thing from the match."
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Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Bogor: Hotshot Taisei Miyashiro has credited his Japan teammates for the striker’s impressive goalscoring spree at the AFC U-19 Championship Indonesia 2018.
The 18-year-old forward has found the net three times in two games to help Japan secure successive victories, and guarantee the reigning championship both pole position in Group B and a ticket through to the quarter-finals.
After coming off the bench to score against DPR Korea on Matchday One, Miyashiro bagged two more on Monday’s 3-1 win over Thailand, a well-taken brace that capped a consummate performance from the Tokyo native.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Bekasi: Malaysian head coach Bojan Hodak praised his side for the improved performance which kept their AFC U-19 Championship Indonesia 2018 campaign alive, but lamented the mistakes which prevented them from claiming three points on a dramatic night against Tajikistan.
The 2-2 draw at Patriot Chandrabhaga Stadium kept Hodak's charges in contention for the last eight, though only just, with one point from two matches following last Saturday's 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia.
The Southeast Asians now must beat China PR on Friday, and hope Tajikistan suffer defeat against the Saudis, to stay in with a chance of their first quarter-final appearance in 14 years.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Jakarta: He has impressed his head coach with successive Player of the Match performances at the AFC U-19 Championship Indonesia 2018, but red hot United Arab Emirates forward Ali Saleh has his sights set on further improvement in the competition.
The 18-year-old has been one of the star performers of the opening week of the tournament, producing three goals in two dazzling displays to help the Emiratis register back to back wins over Qatar and Chinese Taipei.
But, not content with his superb start to the campaign, Saleh is still looking for ways to improve.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Bogor: After seeing his side become the first to qualify for the AFC U-19 Championship Indonesia 2018 quarter-finals, Japan head coach Masanaga Kageyama believes there is still room for the reigning champions to improve.
Having beaten DPR Korea in their opening game, Monday’s comfortable 3-1 win over Thailand in Bogor saw Japan guarantee themselves top spot in Group B and a last eight fixture against Group A’s runners-up.
Japan’s victories have been highly impressive and, with a final group stage game against Iraq to come on Thursday, Kageyama is hoping his young charges can continue an upward trajectory as they look to retain the title they captured in Bahrain two years ago.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Bekasi: Korea Republic looked to have let two points slip through their fingers for the second time in a week against 10-man Jordan, but head coach Chung Jung-yong was left delighted after they hit back with two late goals to seal a 3-1 win in their second Group C fixture on Monday.
The East Asians led for 74 minutes after Cho Young-wook's third minute goal, before a defensive mix-up allowed Omar Al Zebdieh to level the tie, but Jeon Se-jin hit back immediately to steer the 12-time champions towards victory, before Choi Jun added a late third.
Having seen his side squander a lead in their Matchday One draw with Australia, Chung, who is taking charge at the Finals of an AFC competition for the first time, said he was pleased with his side's resilience.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Bekasi: Ante Milicic beamed with pride following Australia's 2-1 AFC U-19 Championship Indonesia 2018 win over Vietnam, revealing a number of his charges had overcome illness to claim the three crucial points.
Goals to Angus Thurgate and Ben Folami put the Young Socceroos one point away from a first quarter-final appearance since 2012, and their head coach disclosed the adversity they had overcome to achieve the result.
"First and foremost, I just want to say how proud I am of our team today," said the former Australian international.