Group D: Late strike secures Sepahan crucial three points

Sat, 23 Apr, 2022

Group D: Late strike secures Sepahan crucial three points

Buraidah: Sajad Shahbazadeh’s late strike handed Sepahan FC a valuable 2-1 win over Pakhtakor FC in their penultimate Group D match in the AFC Champions League™ 2022 at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium.

With Dragan Ceran out injured and Mirzhalol Mirakhmedov suspended, the Tashkent-based side were forced to shake things up in their frontline, switching to just one man up front in Oliver Sarkic flanked by Sardor Rashidov and Hojimat Erkinov.

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Group B: Air Force Club snatch victory with late goal against Al Jazira

Sat, 23 Apr, 2022

Group B: Air Force Club snatch victory with late goal against Al Jazira

Riyadh: Iraq’s Air Force Club repeated their victory against Al Jazira, beating the Emirati side 3-2 on Matchday Five of the AFC Champions League™ 2022 Group B at King Fahd International Stadium on Friday.

Having opened their campaign with a 2-1 win in the reverse fixture two weeks earlier, the Iraqi side came racing out of the blocks and within six minutes had already taken the lead. 

Group C: Shabab Al Ahli Dubai defeat Ahal FC to stay firmly in the race

Sat, 23 Apr, 2022

Group C: Shabab Al Ahli Dubai defeat Ahal FC to stay firmly in the race

Jeddah: Shabab Al Ahli Dubai stayed on track of advancing to the next stage of the AFC Champions League™ 2022 after securing a 2-1 win over Ahal FC in their Group C tie at the King Abdullah Sports City on Friday.

Federico Cartabia scored twice in the first half to increase his tally to five goals as Shabab Al Ahli, who claimed an impressive 8-2 win over Al Gharafa on Matchday Four, remain unbeaten in the campaign.

Preview - Group A: Sharjah (UAE) v Al Hilal SFC (KSA)

Fri, 22 Apr, 2022

Preview - Group A: Sharjah (UAE) v Al Hilal SFC (KSA)

Riyadh: Head coach Cosmin Olăroiu is hoping Sharjah upset Group A leaders Al Hilal SFC when the clubs meet in the AFC Champions League™ 2022 at the Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium on Saturday.

Al Hilal have sealed their passage into the knockout stage after scoring three unanswered goals against Tajikistan’s Istiklol on Matchday Four. For Sharjah, their quest for qualification hangs in the balance following their 3-1 defeat to Al Rayyan of Qatar.

Sharjah are third in the standings behind Al Rayyan and victory against Al Hilal may seem like a tall order for the Emirati side but Olăroiu was optimistic of their chances against the defending champions.

Preview - Group A: Al Rayyan SC (QAT) v FC Istiklol (TJK)

Fri, 22 Apr, 2022

Preview - Group A: Al Rayyan SC (QAT) v FC Istiklol (TJK)

Riyadh:  Head coach Nicolas Cordova is confident his Al Rayyan side can cement second place in Group A of the AFC Champions League™ 2022 with victory over Tajikistan’s FC Istiklol on Saturday.

Al Rayyan have seven points from four matches and trail group leaders Al Hilal SFC by five, while Istiklol are bottom with no points to show.

The Qatari side came back from a goal down to defeat a plucky Istiklol 3-2 on Matchday One and another victory against the Tajikistan outfit will put Cordova’s men in the driver’s seat to claim a top two finish in Group A.

Preview - Group E: Al Faisaly FC (KSA) v Al Wehdat (JOR)

Sun, 24 Apr, 2022

Preview - Group E: Al Faisaly FC (KSA) v Al Wehdat (JOR)

Dammam: Al Faisaly FC head coach Marinos Ouzounidis and his Al Wehdat counterpart Raed Assaf exchanged praise for each other’s teams ahead of their do-or-die encounter on Matchday Five of the AFC Champions League™ 2022 Group E on Saturday.

The teams had played out a 1-1 draw in their campaign opener a fortnight ago when Dutch midfielder Hicham Faik curled in a free-kick within 12 minutes for his side’s first-ever goal in the competition, before Ahmed Samir found the bottom corner five minutes after the restart to bring the game level and help his side collect their first point.

Preview - Group E: FC Nasaf (UZB) v Al Sadd SC (QAT)

Sun, 24 Apr, 2022

Preview - Group E: FC Nasaf (UZB) v Al Sadd SC (QAT)

Dammam: Qatar’s Al Sadd are set to throw everything they have at FC Nasaf when the two sides face on Saturday with only the three points keeping the winning side in the race to progress from Group E of the AFC Champions League™ 2022, according to head coach Javi Gracia.

There was drama aplenty when the two sides locked horns at the start of the campaign, with Al Sadd seeing full-backs Abdelkarim Hassan and Pedro Miguel sent off after the latter’s evening was already on a downward slope, having scored an own goal half an hour in. 

Despite the calamities, the Qataris equalised in the second half through Boualem Khoukhi and held out to a 1-1 draw.