Korea Republic savour glory again

Sat, 03 Oct, 2026

Korea Republic savour glory again

Aichi: Korea Republic successfully retained the gold medal in the men’s football tournament at the Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 on Saturday as Eom Ji-sung’s 61st minute strike earned the defending champions a 1-0 win over Japan at Toyota Stadium.

Eom thumped his left-foot strike into the top corner of the Japanese goal to secure the Koreans a fourth consecutive gold medal at the Games, having won against DPR Korea in 2014 and against the Japanese in 2018 and 2022.

The Japanese had dominated for much of the 90 minutes in front of a crowd of more than 30,000 fans but Eom had the decisive touch with little more than an hour played, the winger crashing the ball home.

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Shu stars as Japan defend women's gold

Sat, 03 Oct, 2026

Shu stars as Japan defend women's gold

Fukuroi: Goalkeeper Shu Ohba kept out Jong Kum’s spot-kick to ensure Japan successfully defended their Asian Games title at Shizuoka Stadium on Friday as the event hosts won 5-3 on penalties after a 2-2 draw at the end of 120 minutes.

Ohba dived to her left to keep out Jong Kum’s under-hit effort in the third round of the shoot-out after Hanon Nishino had scored four minutes from time to salvage Japan’s efforts to win a third consecutive title.

Mami Ueno had given the Japanese a 32nd minute lead but Jong Kum levelled in the 47th minute and Jon Ryong Jung put DPR Korea in front with 22 minutes remaining as her nation sought to win the gold for the first time since 2014.

But Nishino’s cool finish earned the Japanese a late reprieve and Ohba took full advantage to secure her country’s fourth success in the event at the Asian Games.

Player to watch: Oday Dabbagh (Palestine)

Fri, 02 Oct, 2026

Player to watch: Oday Dabbagh (Palestine)

Kuala Lumpur: Oday Dabbagh was at the heart of Palestine’s AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™ historic run and the prolific forward will once again carry much of the attacking responsibility when they head to Saudi Arabia 2027.

Dabbagh has long been one of Palestine's potent attacking threats, with his composure in front of goal and ability to find space making him a key figure for the West Asian side.

Hong Kong, China lift FIFA ASEAN Challenge Cup

Sat, 03 Oct, 2026

Hong Kong, China lift FIFA ASEAN Challenge Cup

Hong Kong: Hong Kong, China emerged FIFA ASEAN Challenge Cup champions following a 2-0 defeat of Cambodia in the final on Saturday.

Matt Orr’s first half strike set the tone with Everton Camargo’s penalty before the hour-mark sealing the win for the East Asian side.

Div 1: Thailand top Group B; Vietnam to vie for third place

Fri, 02 Oct, 2026

Div 1: Thailand top Group B; Vietnam to vie for third place

Jakarta: Thailand claimed top spot in Group B despite suffering a 2-1 defeat to the Philippines in their FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 Division 1 tie on Thursday.

A second-half comeback saw Vietnam rally to sink a stubborn Pakistan side 4-2 and secure their place in the third place playoff against Malaysia. 

Korea Republic held; Palestine shine

Fri, 02 Oct, 2026

Korea Republic held; Palestine shine

Kuala Lumpur: Korea Republic played to a goalless stalemate with Venezuela in an international friendly played at Ulsan on Friday.

Palestine, meanwhile, produced a superb performance to defeat China PR 5-0.