Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Kuala Lumpur: With the 2018 AFC Champions League semi-finals concluding this week across Asia, the-AFC.com looks back at the reactions of the key players involved in the exciting second leg ties.
Kashima Antlers Brazilian star Serginho has eyes on the prize after their dramatic 6-5 aggregate victory over Suwon Samsung Bluewings following a 3-3 draw in Korea Republic.
www.the-afc.com/en/more/photo/jesualdo_ferreira.html


Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Tehran: Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI) President Mehdi Taj has hailed Persepolis reaching the 2018 AFC Champions League final as a triumph for Iranian football after their 2-1 aggregate victory over Qatar's Al Sadd on Tuesday.
Persepolis advanced to the final for the first time following a 1-1 draw in their semi-final second leg against Qatar’s Al Sadd in Tehran on Tuesday, which gave them a 2-1 aggregate win.
Persepolis, who edged Al Sadd 1-0 in the first leg in Doha earlier this month, went behind after Baghdad Bounedjah’s strike in the 17th minute at the Azadi Stadium.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Tehran: Siamak Nemati believes the AFC Champions League trophy could at last end up in Iranian hands as Persepolis get set to take to the final for the first time following their 2-1 aggregate win over Qatar’s Al Sadd in the semi-finals.
Nemati was the hero at Azadi Stadium on Tuesday as the midfielder volleyed home an equaliser early in the second half to level the scores at 1-1 on the night and, after the Tehran side won the first leg 1-0, his strike proved enough to secure a place in the final against Japan’s Kashima Antlers.
Persepolis will be the first Iranian team to appear in the final since Zobahan in 2010, while Sepahan also played in the showpiece event in 2007, but both sides suffered defeats and, with the competition now in its 16th edition, the Islamic Republic of Iran is still seeking its first title.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Suwon: Serginho was again the hero for Kashima Antlers as the Japanese side progressed to a maiden AFC Champions League final on Wednesday, and the Brazilian credited a mid-game huddle as the key to his side’s stunning recovery in their semi-final second leg against Suwon Samsung Bluewings on Wednesday.
Kashima took a 1-0 lead on the night to leave them 4-2 ahead on aggregate, but after conceding three goals in nine second half minutes it looked as though they were heading for a dramatic exit from the competition.
The 23-year-old revealed that the players staged a get-together after falling behind though, stressing the need to keep their heads and not let Suwon’s growing momentum knock them off course.
“We were all saying that we needed to calm down and regain our composure,” he said of the exchange. “We knew if we could pull level (on aggregate) then we’d be back in with a chance, and I’m delighted we were able to do that.”
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Kuala Lumpur: Dejan Damjanovic has been named the Toyota Player of the Week after the forward equaled the AFC Champions League all-time goalscoring record with a strike against Kashima Antlers in the second leg of the 2018 AFC Champions League semi-final on Wednesday.
The Montenegrin created history by going joint-top of the all-time AFC Champions League scoring charts with his 37th continental goal.
It was, however, a bittersweet achievement with Suwon Samsung Bluewings' 3-3 draw not enough to see them progress to the final, losing out to Kashima 6-5 on aggregate.
Damjanovic had four attempts on goal, with his ninth strike of the tournament coming from one shot on target. In addition to his goal, the 37-year-old also created two chances for teammates, earning him a rating of 7.6.
Second in this week’s ranking is Damjanovic's teammate Lim Sang-hyub (below), who was also on target in the roller-coaster tie at Suwon World Cup Stadium.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Tehran: Amidst the euphoric celebrations that followed Persepolis' historic qualification for the AFC Champions League final on Tuesday night, one of their players went through mixed emotions
As the final whistle went at the Azadi Stadium, Iraqi midfielder Bashar Resan broke into tears, overwhelmed by a huge result that came just days after his mother had passed away.
Resan had been on international duty with Iraq in the past week when he received the news about the bereavement.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Tehran: Persepolis captain Seyed Jalal Hosseini hailed a great second-half performance as the Islamic Republic of Iran giants came from a goal down against Al Sadd in the second leg of the 2018 AFC Champions League semi-final to secure a 1-1 draw and progress to their maiden final following a 2-1 aggregate win.
The Tehran side began the match with a one-goal advantage from the first leg in Doha and an expectant Azadi Stadium was full to capacity, generating an atmosphere that would have rivalled anything the competition has ever see.
But they were stunned into silence inside 20 minutes when the tournament’s top scorer Baghdad Bounedjah swept home his record-equaling 13th of the campaign. Persepolis raised their game after the interval and hit back in the 49th minute as Siamac Nemati volleyed in Godwin Mensha’s cross with what proved the decisive goal.