Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: The final round of group stage fixtures in the West Zone of the AFC Cup will take place on Monday and Tuesday with all four places in the Zonal semi-finals still up for grabs.
With just four of the 12 teams having had their eliminations confirmed, eight sides in three groups will battle it out for the right to advance to the knockout rounds.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: The-AFC.com has announced that Bali United's Nyoman Sukarja is the winner of this week’s Goal of the Week presented by Allianz for the 2018 AFC Cup after a public vote on the AFC’s official website.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Irbid: Al Jazeera and Air Force Club exchanged late goals as both teams remained unbeaten and in contention for the top spot of the 2018 AFC Cup Group A.
Jordan’s Al Jazeera thought they had won it when they scored with two minutes to go, but they were clawed back with effectively the last kick of the ball to settle for a repeat of their Matchday One draw against Iraq’s Air Force Club.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: The-AFC.com looks back on the week's 2018 AFC Cup action through the words of some of the key men involved. Home comforts, surprise scorers and positive percentages all feature.
I want to say that after scoring four today and having netted a hat-trick in this beautiful stadium already, I really feel at home here. To the fans - the Jak Mania - thank you so much for your support.
Four-goal hero Marko Simic salutes the Persija Jakarta faithful after he dominated the headlines with a superlative performance in the 4-0 win over Johor Darul Ta'zim.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Karbala: Iraq's Al Zawraa secured an crucial 2-1 win over Bahrain's Manama in a postponed fixture of Matchday Three of the 2018 AFC Cup Group B on Monday.
The visitors started on the attack and their domination almost led Erick Luis to score the opener, but the Brazilian striker failed to net an impossible-to-miss chance from a close-range following Ahmed Moosa's pinpoint cross.
The first dangerous attempt from the hosts came in the 32nd minute as Mohannad Abdul Raheem received the ball from Hussein Ali inside the penalty area but the goalkeeper saved the day for Manama with a quick reflex save.
Five minutes before the break, Al Zawraa’s Mustafa Jawda found the back of the net, taking advantage of a defensive mix-up in the box after the Bahraini goalkeeper made a save at the far post, but Jawda tapped in from point-blank.
Ibrahim Bayesh doubled Al Zawraa's lead two minutes into the second half, applying a finish at the far post to meet Ali's cross from the right wing.
Manama found a consolation goal in the final minute of regular time after Ali Haram rose highest to head home Masood Qambar's cross from the corner kick, but his goal proved too little too late as the Iraqis sealed the three points.
Al Zawraa move level with Lebanon's Al Ahed on nine points at the top of the group ahead of Matchday Six's clash against Al Jaish, while the Lebanese side host Manama next week.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: The ever-growing appeal of the AFC Cup was underlined on Tuesday when the competition recorded its highest-ever match attendance as a record 60,157 fans witnessed Indonesia side Persija Jakarta’s impressive 4-0 victory over Johor Darul Ta'zim from Malaysia at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta.
AFC General Secretary Dato’ Windsor John said the attendance for the ASEAN Zone Group H match was reflective of the continued improvements undertaken to enhance the prestige and standards of the competition.
Dato’ Windsor said: “The AFC, as envisaged in our Vision and Mission, is committed to improving the quality of our competitions for our players, fans and teams. This objective is reflected in this season’s AFC Cup with a record-breaking 44 clubs competing for the highest-ever prize money in the history of the competition.
“This record demonstrates the ever-increasing interest and wide appeal of the AFC’s competitions. I congratulate Persija Jakarta and I would also like to thank all our clubs and Member Associations for their commitment to improve the AFC Cup.
“It is particularly impressive this milestone was achieved in the group stages of the AFC Cup and I am confident, as we work closely with our Member Associations, we will continue to witness even more thrilling matches, which will engage and excite more passionate fans as the competition progresses into the knockout stages.”
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Irbid: Al Jazeera and Air Force Club kept their unbeaten run going as they played out a 1-1 draw on Matchday Five of the AFC Cup Group A on Tuesday.
The Jordanians took the attacking initiative in the first half and were denied an early goal when Oday Al Jafal’s free-kick was cleared away by a defensive header inside the first 15 minutes.
Noor Al Rawabdeh looked to surprise goalkeeper Fahd Talib with a long range effort 10 minutes before the half-time break, but his effort was blocked by the Iraqi defenders.
The crowd at Irbid’s Al Hassan Stadium erupted as Al Jazeera scored late into the match. Ahmed Al Essawi rose highest to head home Mohannad Al Solaiman’s cross from the right flank to put the Jordanians in front with two minutes to go.
The reigning AFC Cup champions fought back and equalised in a similar fashion. Humam Tareq delivered an in-swinging free-kick that was headed by substitute Amjed Radhi past goalkeeper Ahmad Nawwas in the third minute of added time to end the game level.
Al Jazeera’s dream AFC Cup debut continues as they extend their undefeated spell to five games to retain top spot in the group with 11 points.
Air Force’s title defence, meanwhile, is still on as they keep the three-point gap in second place with eight points and a game in hand.