AG (W): Giants march on

Fri, 18 Sep, 2026

AG (W): Giants march on

Kuala Lumpur: Japan, Korea Republic, DPR Korea and Chinese Taipei maintained their perfect starts in the Asian Games 2026 women’s football on Thursday.

The Philippines, meanwhile, picked up their first win with a 2-0 victory over Hong Kong, China, while China PR and Uzbekistan shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw.

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Skibbe applauds keeper Gonda after nervy Vissel win

Thu, 17 Sep, 2026

Skibbe applauds keeper Gonda after nervy Vissel win

Thammasat: Michael Skibbe reserved special praise for goalkeeper Shuichi Gonda following Vissel Kobe’s hard-fought 2-1 win against Port FC in their AFC Champions League Elite 2026/27™ opener on Wednesday.

Yoshinori Muto scored the winner just after the hour mark after Ren Komatsu had given the Japanese side a 10th minute lead, only to deflect Issam Al Sabhi’s header in first half stoppage time past his own goalkeeper for the equaliser at the Thammasat Stadium.

Skibbe admitted that Vissel had survived a tough test against the Thai side.

Jeonbuk’s fighting spirit impresses Chung

Thu, 17 Sep, 2026

Jeonbuk’s fighting spirit impresses Chung

Jeonju: Head coach Chung Jung-yong praised Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC’s determination after the two-time champions came from behind to defeat Kashiwa Reysol 2-1 in their AFC Champions League Elite 2026/27™ opener on Wednesday.

Kenshin Yuba’s fine individual effort gave the Japanese side a 30th minute lead but Tiago Orobo drew Jeonbuk level three minutes after the restart before substitute Italo struck the winner after coming off the bench in the 69th minute.

Chung was delighted with the response from his players after the interval, saying their ability to execute his tactical plan had been key to the turnaround.

Tolic hails historic Persib victory

Thu, 17 Sep, 2026

Tolic hails historic Persib victory

Seoul: Persib Bandung head coach Igor Tolic hailed his side’s resilience after the Indonesian club opened their AFC Champions League Two 2026/27™ campaign with a 1-0 victory over FC Seoul on Wednesday.

Julio Cesar’s fifth minute strike proved enough for Persib to secure all three points, with Tolic delighted with the way his players defended their advantage against the Korea Republic side.

Group G: Shanghai Shenhua FC (CHN) 2-1 Tampines Rovers FC (SGP)

Fri, 18 Sep, 2026

Group G: Shanghai Shenhua FC (CHN) 2-1 Tampines Rovers FC (SGP)

Shanghai: Yang Shuai’s close range header earned Shanghai Shenhua a 2-1 win over Singapore’s Tampines Rovers on Thursday as the Chinese Super League side picked up all three points in their Group G opener in the AFC Champions League Two 2026/27™.

Xu Haoyang gave the home side a 19th minute lead and, while Faris Ramli had levelled the scores in the 33rd minute, Yang nodded in a decisive second for Vladan Milojevic’s side in the 62nd minute to secure the victory.

Group H: Phnom Penh Crown FC (CAM) 2-1 Kuching City FC (MAS)

Fri, 18 Sep, 2026

Group H: Phnom Penh Crown FC (CAM) 2-1 Kuching City FC (MAS)

Phnom Penh: Moses Dyer netted an injury-time goal to give Phnom Penh Crown FC a hard-earned 2-1 win over Malaysia’s Kuching City FC in their AFC Champions League Two 2026/27™ Group H opening tie on Thursday.

The striker, who opened the scoring for the Cambodian Premier League runners-up in the 55th minute, dashed the debutants’ hope in the dying minutes after Ajdin Mujagic had leveled in the 73rd minute.