Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: A year of hard work and dedication came to a close with clubs, players and coaches reaping the rewards in the last quarter of 2017. The-AFC.com reviews the action from the final three months in the fourth part of this series.
October
Four Asian nations had already booked their tickets to Russia 2018, but there was half a spot to be contested between Syria and Australia, with the winners facing the fourth-placed CONCACAF side for a place in the FIFA World Cup.
Syria had stunned the continent to finish third in their group, ahead of heavyweights like China PR and Qatar, while Australia were edged by Japan and Saudi Arabia.
The two sides faced off in Malaysia for the first leg, and the Socceroos took the lead through Robbie Kruse late in the first half, but Omar Al Somah equalised for the Qasioun Eagles from the penalty spot five minutes before the end of the match.
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Tue, 30 Nov, -0001
Kuala Lumpur: 2017 was an eventful year for Asian football, providing fans with a host of memorable moments. As the year heads to a close, the-AFC.com looks back at what transpired throughout the year in a four-part series, starting with the first three months.
January
As usual, the first major action of the calendar year took place in the preliminary stages of the AFC Champions League and the AFC Cup.
One of the standout performances of this stage came from Global FC, who became the first Filipino club to participate in the AFC Champions League when they faced Tampines Rovers of Singapore.
Global marked their debut with a historic result as goals from Ahamad Azzawi and captain Misagh Bahadoran gave the side from Cebu a 2-0 win, which saw them progress to the Preliminary Stage 2 clash with Australia's Brisbane Roar.
Although Global would go on to lose 0-6 to Brisbane, the first experience of playing at the highest stage will undoubtedly remain a special one for the club and their fans.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: In the second of a four-part series looking back at the year gone by, the-AFC.com revisits the second quarter of 2017, which saw plenty of footballing action across the continent at both club and international levels.
April
While group stage action in the AFC Champions League and the AFC Cup neared its end in April, the month also saw a momentous event play out in women's football.
On April 7, neighbours Korea Republic and DPR Korea faced off in an AFC Women's Asian Cup qualifier in Pyongyang's Kim Il Sung Stadium, with a capacity crowd of 42,500 in attendance to watch the first meeting between the women's sides in DPR Korea.
The match ended in a 1-1 draw as both teams vied for the lone ticket to the AFC Women's Asian Cup Jordan 2018. Sung Hyang-sim gave DPR Korea the lead at the stroke of half time, before Korea Republic equalised through Jang Sel-gi in the second half.
The result meant that both teams had a chance of going through to the Finals but eventually, it would be Korea Republic who grabbed top spot in the group, edging their rivals on goal difference after a 4-0 win over Uzbekistan on the final matchday.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: There were celebrations across Asia as titles were won and World Cup places were confirmed. The-AFC.com relives an action-packed third quarter of 2017.
July
As club football across the continent paused for the summer, attention turned to the AFC Futsal Club Championship which took place in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam with 14 teams battling for the title.