Skorza: Nakajima a perfect fit for Urawa

Wed, 23 Aug, 2023

Skorza: Nakajima a perfect fit for Urawa

Saitama: Urawa Red Diamonds head coach Maciej Skorza praised the performance of new midfielder Shoya Nakajima as the defending champions booked their place in Thursday’s AFC Champions League™ 2023/24 group stage draw with a 3-0 win over Hong Kong’s Lee Man.

Goals from Yoshio Koizumi and Shinzo Koroki inside the opening six minutes put Urawa on their way to a comfortable win before Takahiro Sekine applied the finishing touch in injury time.
 
Nakajima played an instrumental role in his side’s success, with the former FC Tokyo playmaker involved in both of the opening goals on his first start for the club since joining from Antalyspor as Reds made light work of last season’s Hong Kong Premier League runners-up.

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Playoff: Urawa Red Diamonds (JPN) 3-0 Lee Man (HKG)

Tue, 22 Aug, 2023

Playoff: Urawa Red Diamonds (JPN) 3-0 Lee Man (HKG)

Saitama: Defending champions Urawa Red Diamonds cruised into the Group Stage of the AFC Champions League™ 2023/24 on Tuesday as the J1 League side handed Hong Kong’s Lee Man a 3-0 playoff defeat at a damp Saitama Stadium.

Two goals in the first six minutes from Yoshio Koizumi and Shinzo Koroki set Maciej Skorza’s title-holders on their way to a comfortable win and Takahiro Sekine added a third in injury time as the three-time champions took their place in Thursday’s draw in Kuala Lumpur.

Playoff: Incheon United FC (KOR) 3-1 Haiphong FC (VIE) - AET

Tue, 22 Aug, 2023

Playoff: Incheon United FC (KOR) 3-1 Haiphong FC (VIE) - AET

Incheon: Korea Republic’s Incheon United FC created history when they beat Vietnam’s Haiphong FC 3-1 in extra time on Tuesday to make it to the group stage of the AFC Champions League™ for the first time.

Hernandes Rodrigues’s 100th minute strike turned out to be the winner as the stubborn Haiphong made for an uncomfortable opponent for the K League 1 side in their playoff tie at the Incheon Football Stadium.

Playoff: Zhejiang FC (CHN) 1-0 Port FC (THA)

Tue, 22 Aug, 2023

Playoff: Zhejiang FC (CHN) 1-0 Port FC (THA)

Huzhou: China PR’s Zhejiang FC edged Port FC of Thailand 1-0 to advance to the AFC Champions League™ 2023/24 group stage on Tuesday. 

Franko Andrijasevic scored the winner in the playoff tie at the Huzhou Olympic Sports Center as Zhejiang advanced to the group stage for the first time since 2011, when they were known as Hangzhou Greentown.

Playoff: Shanghai Port FC (CHN) 2-3 BG Pathum United (THA)

Tue, 22 Aug, 2023

Playoff: Shanghai Port FC (CHN) 2-3 BG Pathum United (THA)

Shanghai: Thailand’s BG Pathum United sealed their ticket into the AFC Champions League™ 2023-24 group stage after defeating Shanghai Port FC of China PR 3-2 at the Shanghai Pudong Football Stadium on Tuesday.

Igor Sergeev scored twice in the first half with Mirahmetjan Muzepper keeping Shanghai Port in the game after the half hour mark before the Uzbekistan forward went on to complete his hat-trick with Markus Pick claiming a late goal for the Chinese side.

Playoff: Tractor FC (IRN) 1-3 Sharjah FC (UAE)

Wed, 23 Aug, 2023

Playoff: Tractor FC (IRN) 1-3 Sharjah FC (UAE)

Tabriz: Sharjah FC of United Arab Emirates dashed the hopes of Islamic Republic of Iran’s Tractor FC of returning to the group stage of the AFC Champions League™ after they secured an impressive 3-1 win in their playoff tie on Tuesday.

Sharjah’s success was achieved with clinical finishing and steely defensive work which sealed their passage to the AFC Champions League™ group stage for a fourth consecutive season. 

Playoff: Al Wakrah SC (QAT) 0-1 Navbahor (UZB)

Wed, 23 Aug, 2023

Playoff: Al Wakrah SC (QAT) 0-1 Navbahor (UZB)

Al Wakrah: Uzbekistan’s Navbahor edged Al Wakrah SC of Qatar 1-0 in extra time on Tuesday to advance into the AFC Champions League™ 2023/24 group stage.

After a goalless 90 minutes at the Al Janoub Stadium, second half substitute Doniyor Abdumannopov sealed the win for Navbahor in the 98th minute.

Playoff: Al Nassr (KSA) 4-2 Shabab Al Ahli Dubai (UAE)

Wed, 23 Aug, 2023

Playoff: Al Nassr (KSA) 4-2 Shabab Al Ahli Dubai (UAE)

Riyadh: A brace from Anderson Talisca helped Al Nassr to a late 4-2 comeback win against Shabab Al Ahli at King Saud University Stadium to advance to the AFC Champions League™ 2023/24 group stage on Tuesday.

The win was a relief for Al Nassr, who had opened their 2023/24 Saudi Pro League campaign with back-to-back defeats. 

Playoff: Al Arabi (QAT) 0-1 AGMK (UZB)

Wed, 23 Aug, 2023

Playoff: Al Arabi (QAT) 0-1 AGMK (UZB)

Doha: AGMK FC booked their place in the AFC Champions League™ 2023/24 group stage with a narrow 1-0 win over Qatar’s Al Arabi thanks to a Ruben Sanchez goal at Al Thumama Stadium on Tuesday.

The Uzbek side return to the competition for the second time in their history after 2021 when they finished fourth in their group despite collecting a respectable tally of seven points.