Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Bengaluru: With the 2018 AFC Cup Inter-Zone semi-finals fast approaching, India's Bengaluru FC have kicked off their preparations with a fresh look as newly-appointed head coach Carles Cuadrat and seven new signings took their bow in an open training session at the Bangalore Stadium on Saturday.
Bengaluru, who face Turkmenistan's Altyn Asyr in the 2018 AFC Cup Inter-Zone semi-finals, have signed Kean Lewis, Rino Anto, Sairuat Kima, Gursimrat Gill, Soram Poirei, Chencho Gyeltshen and Xisco Hernandez for the 2018-19 season.
The first leg of the AFC Cup Inter-Zone semi-final on August 22 will be Bengaluru's first competitive match and Cuadrat is determined to prepare his squad for what promises to be a challenging assignment.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Kuala Lumpur: One of Jordan's historic clubs is mounting an unlikely 2018 AFC Cup challenge after years of struggle as Al Jazeera dream of replicating the Continental success of domestic rivals Al Faisaly.
Jordan’s biggest rivalry today is the famous Amman derby between Al Faisaly and Al Wehdat, but long before Al Wehdat had become a dominant force in Jordanian football, there was the duopoly of Al Faisaly and Al Ahli. Al Jazeera were the first side to break that duopoly when they lifted their maiden Jordan League title in 1952, just five years into their existence.
Back-to-back league triumphs followed in 1955 and 1956, as Al Jazeera replaced Al Faisaly as Al Ahli’s main rivals and the country’s second most successful club with the league now expanding to six teams.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Kuala Lumpur: After over 55,000 votes from Asia’s football fans on the-AFC.com, Persija Jakarta's Rezaldi Hehanusa has emerged the winner of the 2018 AFC Cup Goal of the Group Stage.
The 22-year-old lifted the roof off at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium on Matchday Two when he became the first Indonesian to score for Persija at the 2018 AFC Cup in a 4-1 victory over Singapore's Tampines Rovers. His sensational strike was a popular one as he secured 50% of the vote to win the poll.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Kuala Lumpur: 2016 AFC Cup runners-up Bengaluru FC have been handed a tough encounter against Altyn Asyr while Home United or Ceres Negros will take on 4.25 following the official draw for the Inter-Zone Playoff Semi-finals in the Malaysian capital on Wednesday.
Inter-Zone playoff Semi-final 1 - Home United-Ceres Negros v 4.25
Date: August 21, 2018; Venue: TBC
East Zone champions 4.25 of DPR Korea who will be hoping to better their record in the competition, will face either Home United or Ceres Negros, who will meet in the ASEAN Zonal Final on August 1 and 8.
Pak Sung-jin’s side have never made it past the Inter-Zone Playoff Semi-finals, with their only appearance coming last year where they lost to Bengaluru over two legs.
Home United and Ceres Negros will go head to head in the ASEAN Zonal Final after seeing off Persija Jakarta and Yangon United respectively in the the Zonal Semi-finals.
Inter-Zone playoff Semi-final 2 - Bengaluru v Altyn Asyr
Date: August 22, 2018; Venue: Sree Kanteerava Stadium
Bengaluru, who will be making their fourth consecutive appearance in the knockout stage of the AFC Cup, will face an Altyn side who produced a remarkable 4-3 win over last year’s runners-up Istiklol on Matchday Six - scoring the winner deep in added time.
Both sides have never played each other with Altyn making their first appearance in the knockout stage of the AFC Cup following their record of four wins and two draws in the group stages.
In the Zonal Finals, Al Jazeera from Jordan will play host to defending champions Air Force Club of Iraq at the Amman International Stadium while Ceres Negros of the Philippines will take on Singapore's Home United at the Pana-ad Park and Football Stadium in the ASEAN Zonal Final.
The winners of the Inter-Zone Playoff Semi-finals will advance to the two-leg Inter-Zone Playoff Final - on September 9 and October 3 - with the winners going on to face either Al Jazeera or defending champions Air Force Club, who will play in the West Asia Zonal Final on September 18 and October 2.
The AFC Cup Final will be played on October 27.