Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kashima: Japan’s Kashima Antlers will welcome Korea Republic’s Suwon Samsung Bluewings to Kashima Soccer Stadium for the first leg of the AFC Champions League semi-finals on Wednesday.
The J.League side are appearing in the last four for the first time after finally advancing from a knockout round match for the first time, while two-time continental champions Suwon last played in the semi-finals back in 2011.
The pair met twice in the group stage, sharing a win apiece, with Kashima claiming victory in Suwon and Suwon gaining revenge in the final round of fixtures to top Group H at the last.
https://www.the-afc.com/en/more/photo/h2h_kashima_suwon.html
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Suwon: Suwon Samsung Bluewings striker Dejan Damjanovic admits his sights are set on signing off his playing career as an AFC Champions League winner, and the tournament's all-time top goalscorer, ahead of Wednesday's semi-final against Kashima Antlers.
34 goals down, two more to go. Legendary forward Damjanovic's love-affair with Asia's premier club competition keeps enduring.
A runner-up in 2013 with FC Seoul and again a semi-finalist in 2016 with the capital city club, the prolific Montenegrin is now back in the business end of the tournament with Suwon.
Just a brace off the record of current AFC Champions League all-time top scorer Lee Dong-gook, whose side Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors were eliminated by Suwon in the quarter-finals, Damjanovic has one eye on that record but - naturally - both on lifting the title itself.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Macau: Kashima Antlers coach Go Oiwa credited his team’s poise as the key to their 3-0 second-leg win over Tianjin Quanjian in the 2018 AFC Champions League quarter-finals on Tuesday.
Goals from Serginho, Hiroki Abe, and Shoma Doi wrapped up a 5-0 aggregate victory for the Japanese side over their Chinese opponents, delivering them to a first ever semi-final in Asia’s premier club competition.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Suwon: Tsing Tsao man-of-the-match Shin Hwa-yong admitted that Suwon Samsung Bluewings rode their luck at times to reach the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League after defeating Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors on penalties on Wednesday.
It wouldn't have made for comfortable viewing for Suwon fans on the night, but despite the 3-0 defeat to Jeonbuk at Suwon World Cup Stadium that extinguished a three-goal lead from the first leg, their side were able to see out extra-time and triumph in the resulting penalty shootout.
The victory was thanks largely to the heroics of goalkeeper Shin who not only denied Adriano a match-winning penalty in stoppage time, but also saved from Kim Shin-wook and Lee Dong-gook in the shoot-out, as Suwon ultimately triumphed 4-2.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Doha: Al Sadd host Persepolis in the first leg of the West Asia semi-final of the 2018 AFC Champions League on Tuesday, with a spot in the final of the continent’s premier football competition at stake.
This is the third IR Iran-Qatar match-up in the 2018 AFC Champions League knockout stages. The quarter-finals saw Al Sadd defeat Esteghlal 5-3 on aggregate, while Persepolis mounted a thrilling comeback in the second leg to eliminate the previously rampant Al Duhail side.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Doha: Al Sadd star Akram Afif has warned Persepolis his performance is only getting better the further the 2018 AFC Champions League progresses ahead of their semi-final clash against the Tehran giants next week.
Leading scorer Baghdad Bounedjah and Spanish superstar Xavi may have hogged the headlines as Al Sadd reached the AFC Champions League semi-finals, but it is young Qatari talent Akram Afif who has been one of the real success stories of the Doha club's continental campaign.
And according to the 21-year-old forward, who was recently named AFC Champions League Toyota Player of the Week, the best is very much still to come.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: The AFC Champions League semi-finalists were decided this week after some exciting encounters across Asia, the-AFC.com looks back at the reactions of the key players involved in the action-packed quarter-final second leg clashes.
This was one of the best games in the world this year! We won three zero there, they won three zero here, a missed penalty in stoppage time - a crazy game, but great for Asian football. I am so tired, but so happy that we made it to the semi-finals.
Dejan Damjanovic shares his thoughts on Suwon Samsung Bluewings' rollercoaster quarter-finals tie with Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, after the hosts came out on top 4-2 in a penalty shoot-out after a 3-3 aggregate draw.