Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Sharjah: Bobir Abdixolikov put his hand up as a player to watch in next month’s AFC U23 Championship Thailand 2020, scoring a hat-trick as Uzbekistan beat Iraq 4-2 in a pre-tournament friendly at the Al Hamriya Sports Club Stadium on Sunday.
The FC Nasaf forward found the net twice in an action-packed first half, before completing his treble five minutes after the break to help Ljubinko Drulvic’s side seal victory.
FC Pakhtakor midfielder Jasurbek Yakhshiboev was also on the scoresheet for Uzbekistan, while Mohammed Ridha and Mohammed Dawood scored Iraq’s goals.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Tehran: Omid Noorafkan believes desire can help the Islamic Republic of Iran achieve their dream at the AFC U23 Championship Thailand 2020 as Team Melli prepare to return to the tournament for the first time since 2016.
The midfielder skippered the Central Asians as they advanced from a qualifying group that featured Iraq, Turkmenistan and Yemen after finishing as one of the best-placed runners up in March to book their ticket to the Continental competition, which also acts as the Olympic Games qualifiers.
Four years ago in Qatar, when Olympic qualification was also on the line, Iran progressed to the quarter-finals before defeat at the hands of Japan. After missing out on the U-23 showpiece in 2018, they return looking to go at least one better this time round a give themselves a chance of appearing at Tokyo 2020.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: The stakes were high ahead of the 2016 AFC U23 Championship in Qatar with the competition also named as the Olympics qualifying tournament and a place at the Rio de Janeiro Games on offer for the top three teams.
With 16 teams fighting it out for the right to be crowned Continental champions and book their tickets to South America it did not disappoint as fans in Doha were treated to a football extravaganza.
Fabulous goals, future household names and drama to the last, the-AFC.com looks back at one of the most memorable tournaments of recent years.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: With the AFC U23 Championship Thailand 2020 just a few weeks away, we look back at some of the finest goals the competition has seen since it kicked off in Oman in early 2014.
Featuring some of Asia's finest modern-day talent, including the 2018 AFC Player of the Year Abdelkarim Hassan, Japan's Shoya Nakajima and Vietnam's Nguyen Quang Hai, our selection offers the perfect way to whet your appetite ahead of the fourth edition of the tournament early next year.
After viewing the goals, tell us which is your favourite by casting your vote at the bottom of the article, before it ends on December 22, 14:30 hours (UTC +8).
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Adelaide: Al Hassan Toure has experienced a whirlwind 2019 from heroics in the FFA Cup to scoring in his A-League debut and being called up to the Olyroos. And the new year is set to begin as the old one left off with the forward likely to play a key role in Australia's AFC U23 Championship Thailand 2020 campaign.
Prior to August 7, 2019, the Guinea-born teenager had not even begun his professional career let alone been on the brink of representing Australia at one of the biggest national team tournaments in Asia. But in a dream second half of the year, Toure has gone on to make headlines across the globe.
Just 12 minutes into Adelaide United's FFA Cup campaign, in his senior debut, Toure scored. And the goals kept coming, five in total including the opener in a 4-0 win over Melbourne City in the final, earning him the Mark Viduka Medal for player of the match.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Tashkent: Uzbekistan’s U23 head coach Ljubinko Drulovic has set his sights on securing back-to-back titles as the Central Asian side look to not only defend the title they won in China in 2018 but secure a place at the Olympic Games for the first time in the country’s history.
The Uzbeks impressed two years ago on the way to their first Asian title at national level since claiming the gold medal at the 1994 Asian Games with a 2-1 victory over Vietnam in snow-covered Changzhou.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: The AFC U23 Championship Thailand 2020 is now less than three weeks away and there’s little doubt that some of Asia’s brightest stars of the future will be on display in Southeast Asia as they aim to be crowned Continental champions and book their country’s ticket to the Tokyo Olympics.
The three previous editions of the tournament have featured names who have developed into key performers for club and country, earned moves to bigger leagues and become household names across Asia and beyond.
Ahead of what is sure to be another excellent U-23 competition, the-AFC.com has picked out seven players who have graced the tournament and gone on to develop into modern-day superstars of Asian football.