LATEST NEWS - BFF

Europe Wrap: Doan wins it for Freiburg; Taremi rescues point for Porto

Tue, 16 Apr, 2024

Europe Wrap: Doan wins it for Freiburg; Taremi rescues point for Porto

Kuala Lumpur: Ritsu Doan’s stunning strike ensured a 1-0 win for SC Freiburg against SV Darmstadt 98 in the Bundesliga on Sunday and kept the Japan winger’s club in strong contention for a place in Europe next season. 

Mehdi Taremi came off the bench and salvaged a point for FC Porto as the Iranian striker levelled the score at 2-2 with eight minutes left on Saturday, as Hidemasa Morita’s Sporting Lisbon inched closer to the league title in Portugal with a 4-0 defeat of Gil Vicente. 
 
Uzbekistan captain Eldor Shomurodov scored to deny Inter a win in Italy, Australia defender Charlotte Grant advanced to the Women’s FA Cup final with Tottenham Hotspur in England and Thailand's Nicholas Mickelson was on target in Denmark, so join the-AFC.com as we find out how the Asian stars performed in Europe over the past week. 

Central & South Asia Wrap: Tantalising title decider in India

Mon, 15 Apr, 2024

Central & South Asia Wrap: Tantalising title decider in India

Mumbai: Mumbai City FC and Mohun Bagan Super Giant set up a mouth-watering final day League Shield face-off to decide the winners of the Indian Super League. 

It remained neck and neck in the Iran Pro League with Esteghlal FC and Persepolis FC both picking up victories in the latest round of matches while in Turkmenistan, FK Arkadag continued their fine start to the season.
 
Join the-AFC.com as we recap the past week’s domestic league action from Central and South Asia.

ASEAN Wrap: Bangkok reach FA Cup semis; Sydney down Wanderers in derby

Mon, 15 Apr, 2024

ASEAN Wrap: Bangkok reach FA Cup semis; Sydney down Wanderers in derby

Kuala Lumpur: Bangkok United are one win away from booking a place in the Thai FA Cup final for the second consecutive season after Vander’s late winner helped them defeat Lamphun Warriors 1-0 on Wednesday and set up a semi-final clash with third-division side Udon United who upset Chonburi FC in their quarter-final tie. 

Jaiden Kucharski’s 98th-minute goal proved decisive in a thrilling finish as Sydney FC defeated Western Sydney Wanderers in the third and final Sydney derby of the regular season in Australia while defending champions Central Coast Mariners stayed in the lead ahead of the first leg of their AFC Cup™ 2023/24 Inter-Zone final against FK Abdysh-Ata Kant. 
 
Phnom Penh Crown and Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng set up a title clash in the Hun Sen Cup in Cambodia while reigning champions Kaya FC-Iloilo are among the four teams to win their first two matches of the new league season in the Philippines, so join the-AFC.com as we review the week’s action from ASEAN.

East Asia Wrap: Ulsan gain momentum; Port win thriller against Shandong

Mon, 15 Apr, 2024

East Asia Wrap: Ulsan gain momentum; Port win thriller against Shandong

Hong Kong: Ulsan Hyundai warmed up for Wednesday’s AFC Champions League™ 2023/24 semi-final first leg against Japan’s Yokohama F. Marinos with an impressive 4-0 defeat of Gangwon FC which saw the K League 1 defending champions move two points behind leaders Pohang Steelers. 

Wu Lei scored his sixth and seventh goals of the season to power reigning champions Shanghai Port to a comeback win against Shandong Taishan in China PR on Sunday as unbeaten Shanghai Shenhua continued to lead the standings despite a 1-1 draw with Beijing FC on Saturday. 
 
Cerezo Osaka emerged as the new frontrunners in Japan after posting a narrow 1-0 victory against Kawasaki Frontale while matches also took place in Hong Kong, Mongolia, Macau and Chinese Taipei, so join the-AFC.com as we bring you up to speed with the action from across East Asia.

Al Hilal cruise past Al Ittihad to lift Saudi Super Cup

Fri, 12 Apr, 2024

Al Hilal cruise past Al Ittihad to lift Saudi Super Cup

Abu Dhabi: Brazilian forward Malcom was the star with two goals as Al Hilal SFC claimed the Saudi Super Cup title with a 4-1 win over Al-Ittihad in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.

Al Hilal, who meet UAE's Al Ain in the first leg of the AFC Champions League™ 2023/24 semi-finals next week, are well placed to clinch the Saudi Pro League title and are in the semi-finals of the King's Cup. 

Europe Wrap: Brace for Lee in Mainz win; Maeda nets in Glasgow derby

Tue, 09 Apr, 2024

Europe Wrap: Brace for Lee in Mainz win; Maeda nets in Glasgow derby

Kuala Lumpur: Lee Jae-sung bagged a late double to seal Mainz’s 4-0 win against Darmstadt on Saturday which strengthened his side's hopes of survival in the Bundesliga while Kou Itakura was also on target in Germany in Borussia Monchengladbach’s 3-1 win against Wolfsburg on Sunday.

Itakura’s Japanese compatriot Daizen Maeda scored in the first minute as Celtic and Rangers played out a thrilling 3-3 draw in the Old Firm derby to keep the Scottish Premiership title race wide open while Son Heung-min marked his 400th game for Tottenham Hotspur.
 
Uzbekistan striker Eldor Shomurodov claimed an assist to guide Cagliari to a crucial win in their relegation fight in Italy while Indonesia’s Thom Haye was on the scoresheet for Heerenveen in the Netherlands, so join the-AFC.com as we find out how the Asian stars performed in Europe over the past week.

Al Hilal, Al Ittihad set for Super Cup showdown

Tue, 09 Apr, 2024

Al Hilal, Al Ittihad set for Super Cup showdown

Abu Dhabi: Al Hilal SFC will face Al Ittihad in the Super Cup final after both secured hard fought semi-final wins on Monday.

Al Hilal edged Al Nassr 2-1 while Al Ittihad beat Al Wehda by the same score.

Central & South Asia Wrap: Esteghlal lose ground as Persepolis close in

Mon, 08 Apr, 2024

Central & South Asia Wrap: Esteghlal lose ground as Persepolis close in

Tehran: League leaders Esteghlal dropped points but stayed top of the Iran Pro League, while Mumbai City FC maintained their lead over Mohun Bagan Super Giant in the Indian Super League.

Elsewhere, there was no stopping Bashundhara Kings in Bangladesh while FK Andijan stayed top in Uzbekistan, so join the AFC.com as we recap the past week’s domestic league action from Central and South Asia.

ASEAN Wrap: Victory claim Melbourne derby win; Buriram steer clear of Bangkok

Mon, 08 Apr, 2024

ASEAN Wrap: Victory claim Melbourne derby win; Buriram steer clear of Bangkok

Kuala Lumpur: Melbourne Victory scored late through Damien Da Silva to defeat rivals Melbourne City 2-1 in a thrilling Melbourne derby on Saturday as Central Coast Mariners gained the upper hand in the A-League premiership race after a win against Wellington Phoenix in a top-of-the-table clash.

Reigning champions Buriram United pulled four points clear at the top in Thailand with a narrow 1-0 victory against PT Prachuap while their closest challengers Bangkok United were denied a win by Port FC.
 
Leaders Nam Dinh suffered a 4-2 loss at the hands of Binh Dinh in Vietnam while Visakha FC and Boeung Ket secured their places in the championship playoffs in Cambodia and the new season in Philippines kicked off, so join the-AFC.com as we review the week’s action from ASEAN.

East Asia Wrap: Marinos defeat Vissel; Pohang go top

Mon, 08 Apr, 2024

East Asia Wrap: Marinos defeat Vissel; Pohang go top

Hong Kong: An exquisite finish from Yan Matheus with seven minutes to play helped Yokohama F. Marinos overcome defending champions Vissel Kobe 2-1 on Sunday as Machida Zelvia stayed at the top of the table in Japan by beating former champions Kawasaki Frontale. 

Pohang Steelers, who were held by Suwon FC earlier in the week but bounced back to defeat Daejeon Hana Citizen on Sunday, have a one-point lead at the top in Korea Republic while Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors remain winless and bottom six games into the campaign.  
 
Reigning champions Shanghai Port and Beijing FC shared the spoils in a thrilling 2-2 draw in China PR while matches also took place in Hong Kong, Mongolia and Macau, so join the-AFC.com as we bring you up to speed with the action from across East Asia.

West Asia Wrap: Al Gharafa edge closer; Al Hilal relentless

Mon, 08 Apr, 2024

West Asia Wrap: Al Gharafa edge closer; Al Hilal relentless

Doha: Al Sadd SC’s title charge suffered a setback following a 3-1 defeat to Al Duhail SC as Al Gharafa moved within two points of them in the Qatar Stars League 2023/24 on Sunday. 

Al Hilal SFC, meanwhile, edged closer to the Saudi Pro League title with a 4-1 win over Al Khaleej which took them to 77 points, 12 ahead of Al Nassr with seven matches remaining. 

It is a tight race in the Bahrain Premier League with Al Khalidiya moving within a point of Al Riffa SC while Al Shorta SC and Air Force Club are locked in an enticing battle in the Iraqi Stars League. Join the-AFC.com as we bring you the latest domestic action from across West Asia.

Europe Wrap: Son hits winner; Doan and Minamino on target

Tue, 02 Apr, 2024

Europe Wrap: Son hits winner; Doan and Minamino on target

Kuala Lumpur: Son Heung-min was the hero for Tottenham Hotspur, scoring a late winner to overcome Luton Town and keep their top four hopes alive in the Premier League during a week which also saw Australian trio Caitlin Foord, Steph Catley and Kyra Cooney-Cross emerge as Women’s League Cup winners with Arsenal.

Ritsu Doan was on the scoresheet to seal SC Freiburg's 3-0 win against Borussia Monchengladbach in Germany’s Bundesliga while his Samurai Blue teammate Takumi Minamino netted first for AS Monaco in their 5-2 victory over Metz in France.
 
Iranian winger Mohammad Mohebi bagged a brace for FC Rostov in Russia and Hwang In-beom scored to help Red Star Belgrade stay on track in their title defence in Serbia, so join the-AFC.com as we find out how the Asian stars performed in Europe over the past week.