Group G: Bangkok United FC (THA) 4-2 Tampines Rovers (SGP)

Thu, 19 Sep, 2024

Group G: Bangkok United FC (THA) 4-2 Tampines Rovers (SGP)

Pathum Thani: Bangkok United of Thailand kicked off their AFC Champions League Two™ 2024/25 campaign on a winning note after defeating Singapore’s Tampines Rovers 4-2 on Wednesday.

The six-goal thriller saw Bangkok twice taking the lead only for Tampines to pull level each time before Richairo Zivkovic and Bassel Jradi sealed the points for the home side. 

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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.

MD1: Ulsan HD FC (KOR) 0-1 Kawasaki Frontale (JPN)

Thu, 19 Sep, 2024

MD1: Ulsan HD FC (KOR) 0-1 Kawasaki Frontale (JPN)

Ulsan: Kawasaki Frontale kicked off their AFC Champions League Elite campaign with a 1-0 win over hosts Ulsan HD on Wednesday as Marcinho’s second half strike earned the Japanese side the three points at Ulsan Munsu World Cup Stadium.

The Brazilian hit the only goal of the game in the 54th minute to give Toru Oniki’s side the perfect start to the league phase in east Asia, joining K League 1 outfit Gwangju FC and Chinese Super League duo Shanghai Shenhua and Shandong Taishan on maximum points.

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.

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.