Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Saitama: Tomoya Ugajin's 13th minute strike secured Urawa Red Diamonds a 1-0 win over Vegalta Sendai in the 2018 Japan Emperor's Cup final at the Saitama Stadium on Sunday.
Winning the Emperor's Cup for the seventh time means Urawa have sealed a place in the group stage of the 2019 AFC Champions League.
Urawa, the 2017 AFC Champions League winners, missed out on this season's campaign after failing to qualify.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: Al Wahda FSCC have appointed the widely acclaimed Henk ten Cate as head coach.
The club, who announced ten Cate's appointment on social media, said the Dutchman will take charge of the UAE Pro League side this coming week.
The former Barcelona and Chelsea assistant coach replaces Romanian Laurențiu Reghecampf, who was relieved of his position in late November.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Daegu: Daegu FC powered to a 3-0 win over Ulsan Hyundai FC in the second leg of the 2018 Korea Football Association (FA) Cup, clinching the title 5-1 on aggregate on Saturday.
Three second half goals secured Daegu their first ever honour since being founded in 2002.
Daegu, led by Brazilian head coach Andre Luiz Alves Santos, will now make their debut appearance in the 2019 AFC Champions League. They will be in Group F, facing Chinese Super League runners-up Guangzhou Evergrande, Australian A-League final series winners Melbourne Victory and a winner from the play-offs.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: Japan international Hajime Hosogai transferred to Thailand’s Buriram United from Kashiwa Reysol on Thursday.
Hosogai, who began his professional career with Urawa Red Diamonds in 2005, assisted the club to numerous titles such as the J.League, Emperor’s Cup and the Japanese Super Cup in 2006, including the 2007 AFC Champions League.
In 2011, the midfielder made his move overseas to German club Bayer 04 Leverkusen before transferring to Hertha BSC two years later. After a stint in VfB Stuttgart, Hosogai returned to Japan, playing for Kashiwa Reysol in 2017.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Johor Bahru: Brazilian centre-back Mauricio dos Santos Nascimento has completed his transfer to Malaysian Super League side Johor Darul Ta’zim, the club announced on Wednesday.
More commonly known as Mauricio, the 30-year-old has an extensive record of playing in Brazil’s top tier league, Campeonato Paulista, where he earned his first league title in 2008 with Palmeiras.
Mauricio is also no stranger to clubs outside of Brazil, having played with Portugal’s Sporting CP and securing the Taca de Portugal in the 2014/15 season, before transferring to Italy’s Lazio.
His career as a professional footballer has seen him on loan to various clubs, but he has also proven himself to be an essential part of a team and assisted those clubs in clinching domestic titles, namely for Spartak Moscow of Russia in 2017 and Poland’s Legia Warsaw in 2018.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Jinan: Beijing Guoan secured qualification into the 2019 AFC Champions League group stage after defeating Shandong Luneng on away goals to lift the Chinese FA Cup title on Saturday.
The win gave Guoan an automatic berth in next year's AFC Champions League.
Guoan will face Korean side Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, Buriram United of Thailand and the champions of Japan's Emperor's Cup in Group G, while Shandong Luneng will start their 2019 AFC Champions League campaign in the preliminary stage.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Seoul: K League champions Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors announced the signing of Jose Morais of Portugal as their new head coach on Thursday.
Morais will replace outgoing boss Choi Kang-hee, who will leave for Chinese club Tianjin Quanjian after this season. Jeonbuk clinched their second-straight league title in early October, with six matches to spare.
Choi guided Jeonbuk to six league championships and two AFC Champions League titles during his tenure. Choi has been with Jeonbuk since 2005, with a brief hiatus from 2011 to 2013 to coach the Korea Republic national team.