Mariners’ Jackson eyes title, heartbreak for Abdysh-Ata’s Akhmedov

Wed, 24 Apr, 2024

Mariners’ Jackson eyes title, heartbreak for Abdysh-Ata’s Akhmedov

Gosford: Head coach Mark Jackson has firmly set his eyes on the big prize after his Central Coast Mariners side defeated FK Abdysh-Ata Kant 4-1 on aggregate to clinch a place in the AFC Cup™ 2023/24 final against Lebanon’s Al Ahed FC.

The 46-year-old Englishman, while delighted that his players passed a  stiff test, does not see it as the end of a journey for his Australian outfit, saying the club from top to bottom stand together in their bid to win the final edition of the AFC Cup.

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Late goals send Mariners into final

Wed, 24 Apr, 2024

Late goals send Mariners into final

Gosford: Australia’s Central Coast Mariners are through to the final of the AFC Cup™ 2023/24 after defeating FK Abdysh-Ata Kant of Kyrgyz Republic 3-0 in the second leg of the Inter-Zone final on Wednesday.

After a goalless first half at Central Coast Stadium, Miguel Di Pizio found the breakthrough for the hosts in the 78th minute before a goal from Mikael Doka and a second from Di Pizio sealed their 4-1 aggregate win and booked the title clash with Lebanon’s Al Ahed FC on May 5.

Melki: Al Ahed worked really hard for the victory

Wed, 24 Apr, 2024

Melki: Al Ahed worked really hard for the victory

Muscat: George Melki hailed his teammates after Al Ahed booked their place in the AFC Cup™ 2023/24 final at Al Nahda's expense on Tuesday.

Leading 1-0 after the first leg, Lebanon's Al Ahed found themselves pegged back by Omer Al Malki's equaliser.
 
Lee Erwin, however, scored twice after coming off the bench with Walter Bwalya's late goal proving to be a mere consolation as 2019 AFC Cup winners Al Ahed advanced 3-2 on aggregate.

Marinos defeat Ulsan in semi-final thriller

Thu, 25 Apr, 2024

Marinos defeat Ulsan in semi-final thriller

Yokohama: Yokohama F. Marinos advanced to the AFC Champions League™ final for the first time after beating Ulsan Hyundai FC 5-4 on penalties in the second leg of the semi-final on Wednesday following a 3-3 draw on aggregate.

A pulsating first half at Yokohama International Stadium saw Asahi Uenaka’s double and a goal from Anderson Lopes put the Japanese side 3-1 up on aggregate.
 
However, a Matheus Sales header and a penalty from Darijan Bojanic brought the aggregate scoreline level at the interval as the hosts were also reduced to 10 men after Takumi Kamijima was dismissed.

With no further goals in the second half or extra time, the tie went to penalties where Eduardo struck the winning spot-kick after Yokohama goalkeeper William Popp had saved from Kim Min-woo as Yokohama booked a date with the United Arab Emirates’ Al Ain FC in next month’s final.

Eisa proud to have helped Al Ain advance

Wed, 24 Apr, 2024

Eisa proud to have helped Al Ain advance

Riyadh: Goalkeeper Khaled Eisa was thrilled to have played a major role in Al Ain securing passage to the AFC Champions League™ 2023/24 final on Tuesday.

The captain had to be at his best as Al Ain limited Al Hilal SFC to a 2-1 win in the return leg of their semi-final with the United Arab Emirates side advancing 5-4 on aggregate.

#AFCU23 Vote for your best goal of the group stage

Tue, 23 Apr, 2024

#AFCU23 Vote for your best goal of the group stage

Doha: Spectacular goals lit up the AFC U23 Asian Cup Qatar 2024™ group stage with the tournament heading into the business end with not only the coveted trophy at stake but also places in the Paris Olympics 2024.

Ahead of what will surely be exciting quarter-final ties, the-AFC.com invites you - the fans - to pick your favourite goal from an action-packed group stage.

Preview - Q-final: Korea Republic v Indonesia

Fri, 26 Apr, 2024

Preview - Q-final: Korea Republic v Indonesia

Doha: Ahead of their last eight tie against Indonesia on Thursday, Korea Republic head coach Hwang Sun-hong declared that his side are fully focused on getting through to the semi-finals of the AFC U23 Asian Cup Qatar 2024™.

The 2020 champions won all three of their Group B matches without conceding a single goal to progress to the knockout stage, which maintained their status as the only team in all six editions of the tournament to qualify from the group stage at every iteration.
 
Korea Republic have also reached the final four on four previous occasions, the most of any team, and Hwang asserted that they are ready to start on a clean slate at the Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium.

Preview - Q-final: Qatar v Japan

Thu, 25 Apr, 2024

Preview - Q-final: Qatar v Japan

Doha: Qatar head coach Ilidio Vale has yet to decide whether forward Ahmed Al Rawi will feature in his side’s AFC U23 Asian Cup Qatar 2024™ quarter-final against Japan at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium on Thursday as the Al Rayyan striker continues to struggle with his fitness.

Al Rawi scored in the hosts’ win over Indonesia in the tournament opener but played no part in the clashes with Jordan or Australia as Qatar won Group A and Vale remained coy about the 22-year-old's availability for the clash with Go Oiwa’s side.