Semi-Finals: Ones to Watch

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Semi-Finals: Ones to Watch

Kuala Lumpur: The 2019 AFC Champions League semi-finals kick off on Tuesday with teams from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, China PR and Japan set to go head-to-head in must-watch ties.

The two-legged fixtures will kick off on Tuesday and Wednesday with the return legs three weeks later. The two winning sides will progress to the final to be played on November 11 and 24.

We look at four players – one from each of the semi-finalists – who could be key for their respective teams' chances of victory.

Saudi Arabia vs Qatar - A history of knockout stage encounters

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Saudi Arabia vs Qatar - A history of knockout stage encounters

Kuala Lumpur: Qatar’s Al Sadd are set to face Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal in the 2019 AFC Champions League semi-final next week, having overcome another Saudi opponent - Al Nassr – in the previous round and this will be the latest in a long series of Saudi-Qatari clashes in the competition’s knockout stages.

Although clubs from Saudi Arabia and Qatar have appeared in every single edition of the AFC Champions League since its inception in 2002-03, they managed to avoid facing-off in the knockout stages until 2009, but in the decade since, they have been pitted together on 10 occasions. The-AFC.com looks back at how each of these encounters panned out.

Clash of 2015: Where are they now?

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Clash of 2015: Where are they now?

Kuala Lumpur: Four years on from their last continental clash, West Asian heavyweights Al Sadd SC and Al Hilal SFC are set to lock horns again in the 2019 AFC Champions League semi-finals.

Wins were exchanged when the two sides met in the group stage of the 2015 edition, with Khalfan Ibrahim’s strike giving Al Sadd a 1-0 home win on Matchday Two and Al Hilal emerging 2-1 winners in Riyadh on Matchday Six; the last time the two sides met. the-AFC.com tracks where all 22 starting players involved in that last encounter are now.

5 Memorable Semi-finals

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

5 Memorable Semi-finals

Kuala Lumpur: Ahead of the 2019 AFC Champions League semi-finals, we reflect on five classic encounters from previous editions of the Continental competition.

Last minute winners, goal gluts and East-meet-West clashes, since the AFC Champions League's revamp in 2002-03, there have been plenty of thrills and spills when the tournament has reached the final four phase.

The-AFC.com looks back on some of these ties to remember and relive.

ACL 2019 Allianz Goal of the Week: Salem Al Dawsari (Al Hilal SFC)

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

ACL 2019 Allianz Goal of the Week: Salem Al Dawsari (Al Hilal SFC)

Kuala Lumpur: The-AFC.com has announced that Al Hilal's Salem Al Dawsari is the winner of this week’s Goal of the Week presented by Allianz for the 2019 AFC Champions League quarter-final second legs on Friday.

Quarter-finals, 2nd Leg: The Week In Numbers

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Quarter-finals, 2nd Leg: The Week In Numbers

Kuala Lumpur: The 2019 AFC Champions League is down to just four teams after the completion of the quarter-finals last week, with Al Hilal, Al Sadd, Guangzhou Evergrande and Urawa Red Diamonds all still in the hunt for Asia's biggest club prize.

The quartet will return for the semi-finals in a little over a week's time as the tournament heads towards a gripping climax, before which, join the-AFC.com as we look back at the week in numbers following a thrilling set of last-eight encounters.

Quarter-finals 2nd Leg: What They Said

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Quarter-finals 2nd Leg: What They Said

Kuala Lumpur: The line-up for the 2019 AFC Champions League semi-finals was decided this week after Al Sadd, Al Hilal, Urawa Red Diamonds and Guangzhou Evergrande emerged victorious.

Fantastic fan support, stand-out performances, and eyes firmly fixed on the prize as the 2019 quarter-finals concluded in exciting style with the second leg matches played out in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Japan. Here's the post-match reaction from some of the key men involved.