Jesus: Al Hilal had to work hard for victory

Wed, 18 Sep, 2024

Jesus: Al Hilal had to work hard for victory

Al Rayyan: It may have looked like a cruise but Al Hilal SFC head coach Jorge Jesus said his side had to work hard for their 3-1 win over Al Rayyan SC in their AFC Champions League Elite™ 2024/25 opener on Tuesday. 

Four-time Asian champions Al Hilal went into the break leading 3-0 thanks to goals from Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Joao Concelo and Marcos Leonardo but then had to be on their toes to prevent an Al Rayyan fightback after Roger Guedes pulled one back for the Qatari side two minutes into the second half.

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Half-time talk restored belief, says Shandong Taishan’s Choi

Wed, 18 Sep, 2024

Half-time talk restored belief, says Shandong Taishan’s Choi

Jinan: Head coach Choi Kang-hee’s half-time pep talk sparked Shandong Taishan’s AFC Champions League Elite™ 2024/25 3-1 win against Central Coast Mariners on Tuesday.

Bi Jinhao’s eighth minute goal gave Shandong a perfect start but Mikael Doka’s penalty in the ninth minute of first half added time left the China PR side reeling, prompting Choi and his coaching staff to intervene during the break with Valeri Qazaishvili netting twice in the second period for the win. 

Gwangju’s Lee expects more despite fantastic start

Wed, 18 Sep, 2024

Gwangju’s Lee expects more despite fantastic start

Gwangju: Lee Jung-hyo praised his Gwangju FC players for their strong mentality in their AFC Champions League Elite™ 2024/25 win against Japan's Yokohama F. Marinos but the head coach admitted he wasn’t totally satisfied with how the Korea Republic side ended the tie on Tuesday.

Making their continental debut, Gwangju produced a swashbuckling performance to defeat AFC Champions League™ 2023/24 runners-up Marinos 7-3 at Gwangju World Cup Stadium, Jasir Asani starring with a hat-trick with Oh Hu-seong, Beka Mikeltadze, Lee Hui-gyun and Gabriel Tigrao also getting on the scoreboard. 

Castro leaves Al Nassr

Wed, 18 Sep, 2024

Castro leaves Al Nassr

Riyadh: Saudi Arabia's Al Nassr have announced the departure of head coach Luis Castro.

Castor leaves the Riyadh-based club after having been in charge for 14 months.

Olaroiu praises Sharjah’s maturity; Istiklol’s Tukhtaev looks ahead

Wed, 18 Sep, 2024

Olaroiu praises Sharjah’s maturity; Istiklol’s Tukhtaev looks ahead

Dushanbe: Sharjah head coach Cosmin Olaroiu hailed his players’ determination after their hard-fought 1-0 win over Tajikistan’s Istiklol in Group C of the AFC Champions League Two™ 2024/25 at the Central Republican Stadium on Tuesday.

Both sides toiled in front of goal in the opening 45 minutes before Sharjah sent on Firas Ben Al Arbi, who scored the winning goal to secure the United Arab Emirates side the three points.

Rafat proud of Al Wehdat’s response

Wed, 18 Sep, 2024

Rafat proud of Al Wehdat’s response

Amman: Head coach Rafat Ali couldn’t hide his delight after his Al Wehdat side produced a stirring comeback against Islamic Republic of Iran’s Sepahan FC to win their opening AFC Champions League Two™ 2024/25 Group C match on Tuesday.

Heading into the match against Iran Pro League leaders Sepahan, Ali knew the huge challenge his Jordanian side faced but he was encouraged by the fighting spirit his players showed after falling behind to a ninth minute Vahdat Hanonov strike.

Group B: Thailand 10-5 Cuba

Wed, 18 Sep, 2024

Group B: Thailand 10-5 Cuba

Bukhara: Thailand booked their place in the knockout stage of the FIFA Futsal World Cup Uzbekistan 2024 after defeating Cuba 10-5 in their second Group B match on Tuesday.

Having allowed Cuba to draw level after leading 3-1, Thailand’s quality saw them dominate the second half to move onto six points and they were assured of their spot in the Round of 16 after Brazil defeated Croatia 8-1 in their tie later on Tuesday. 

Group A: Uzbekistan 1-4 Paraguay

Wed, 18 Sep, 2024

Group A: Uzbekistan 1-4 Paraguay

Tashkent: Uzbekistan’s hopes of advancing to the knockout stage of the FIFA Futsal World Cup 2024 suffered a blow after they went down 4-1 to Paraguay at the Humo Arena on Tuesday.

Uzbekistan, who opened their campaign with a 3-3 draw against the Netherlands, will now need to win their final game against Costa Rica to stand a chance of extending their stay in the tournament.

Preview - S-final: Japan v Netherlands

Tue, 17 Sep, 2024

Preview - S-final: Japan v Netherlands

Cali: Manaka Matsukubo has reminded Japan to remain focused ahead of their FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Colombia 2024 semi-final against the Netherlands.

Japan booked their spot in Wednesday's last four tie with a 1-0 extra-time win over defending champions Spain while the Netherlands defeated Colombia 3-0 on penalties after their quarter-final ended 2-2.

Preview - S-final: USA v DPR Korea

Tue, 17 Sep, 2024

Preview - S-final: USA v DPR Korea

Cali: DPR Korea will not make the mistake of underestimating the United States when they square off in their FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Colombia 2024 semi-final on Wednesday.

The reigning Asian champions are seeking a third world title while the United States are aiming for a fourth.