Castro pleased with Al Nassr's resilience in victory against Persepolis

Wed, 20 Sep, 2023

Castro pleased with Al Nassr's resilience in victory against Persepolis

Tehran: Luis Castro sported a satisfied look after his Al Nassr side defeated Persepolis FC 2-0 in their opening AFC Champions League™ 2023/24 Group E tie on Tuesday.

With Islamic Republic of Iran's Persepolis having a rich history in the competition and playing in the Azadi Stadium, Al Nassr knew they were in for a tough 90 minutes but their patient approach and Milad Sarlak's sending off early in the second half turned the tide in the Saudi Arabian side's favour.
 
Abdulrahman Ghareeb slotted home the opener in the 62nd minute with left-back Mohammed Qassem confirming the win 10 minutes later.

www.the-afc.com/en/club/afc_champions_league/video/acl_-_group_e_|_persepolis_fc_irn_0_-_2_al_nassr_ksa.html

F. Marinos' defensive frailties disappoint Muscat

Wed, 20 Sep, 2023

F. Marinos' defensive frailties disappoint Muscat

Yokohama: Kevin Muscat was left to rue Yokohama F. Marinos' defensive frailties after the Japanese side suffered a shock defeat to Incheon United in their AFC Champions League™ 2023/24 Group G tie on Tuesday.

Second half substitute Hernandez turned the game in Incheon United’s favour as the Brazilian came off the bench to score twice in the final 15 minutes to earn the debutants from Korea Republic a 4-2 win.
 
The result is an early blow for Japanese champions F. Marinos, with head coach Muscat having targeted an extended run in the competition.

Win delights Kawasaki’s Oniki, JDT’s Solari finds positives

Wed, 20 Sep, 2023

Win delights Kawasaki’s Oniki, JDT’s Solari finds positives

Johor Bahru: A spectacular Marcinho overhead kick gave Japan’s Kawasaki Frontale a winning start in Group I of the AFC Champions LeagueTM 2023/24, much to the delight of head coach Toru Oniki.

The 1-0 victory on Tuesday saw Kawasaki maintain their unbeaten record at Sultan Ibrahim Stadium against Johor Darul Ta’zim, having won one and drawn one in last year’s edition at the group stage.

Group E: Persepolis FC (IRN) 0-2 Al Nassr (KSA)

Thu, 21 Sep, 2023

Group E: Persepolis FC (IRN) 0-2 Al Nassr (KSA)

Tehran: Al Nassr marked Cristiano Ronaldo’s debut in the AFC Champions League™ with a 2-0 away victory against Persepolis FC at Azadi Stadium in Group E of the 2023/24 edition on Tuesday.

The hosts suffered an early blow as experienced forward Mehdi Torabi had to be stretched off inside the opening 10 minutes following an injury, being replaced by Shahab Zahedi.

Group E: FC Istiklol (TJK) 0-0 Al Duhail SC (QAT)

Wed, 20 Sep, 2023

Group E: FC Istiklol (TJK) 0-0 Al Duhail SC (QAT)

Dushanbe: Last year’s AFC Champions League™ semi-finalists Al Duhail will take a point back to Qatar from their Group E clash against FC Istiklol after Hernan Crespo’s side shared a 0-0 draw with the Tajikistan champions at the Central Republican Stadium on Tuesday.

Sultan Al Braik went closest to breaking the stalemate 15 minutes from time when his attempt from the edge of the penalty area took a huge deflection and came back off Rustam Yatimov’s right post before bouncing to safety.

But, in a game of few clear-cut scoring opportunities, Istiklol’s defensive discipline ensured Al Duhail were limited to trying their luck from distance, a tactic that yielded little to seriously trouble goalkeeper Yatimov throughout the 90 minutes.

Resounding starts for China PR, Korea Republic

Tue, 19 Sep, 2023

Resounding starts for China PR, Korea Republic

Hangzhou: Korea Republic began their Hangzhou Asian Games challenge with a 9-0 win over Kuwait on Tuesday.

Hosts China PR were equally impressive in their win over India while four-time gold medallists Islamic Republic of Iran had to be satisfied with a draw against Saudi Arabia while