LATEST NEWS (CTFA)

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.

#AFCCup - Road to Inter-Zone final

Sun, 14 Apr, 2024

#AFCCup - Road to Inter-Zone final

Bishkek: FK Abdysh-Ata Kant and Central Coast Mariners FC will square off in the AFC Cup™ 2023/24 Inter-Zone final on Wednesday.

Both sides will be aiming to create history as no team from Kyrgyz Republic or Australia have featured in the AFC Cup final before. 
 
The-AFC.com takes a look at how the two progressed to the Inter-Zone final.

#ACFutsal - Five memorable matches

Thu, 11 Apr, 2024

#ACFutsal - Five memorable matches

Kuala Lumpur: Sixteen teams will be vying for the AFC Futsal Asian Cup™ Thailand 2024 title when the 17th edition kicks off in Bangkok on April 17.

Japan are the defending champions while the Islamic Republic of Iran will be seeking a 13th title with the teams the only sides to have emerged champions in the history of the tournament.

There have been, however, some memorable matches over the years and the-AFC.com picks five of the best. 

Team spirit vital to Kyrgyz Republic success, says Tarkovic

Wed, 27 Mar, 2024

Team spirit vital to Kyrgyz Republic success, says Tarkovic

Bishkek: Head coach Stefan Tarkovic credited his team’s unity for the 5-1 win over Chinese Taipei in their Preliminary Joint Qualification - Round 2 for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ Group D tie on Tuesday.

The win ensured Kyrgyz Republic stayed on top of the standings with nine points, ahead of Oman on goal difference, with Chinese Taipei remaining bottom.

Group D: Kyrgyz Republic 5-1 Chinese Taipei

Wed, 27 Mar, 2024

Group D: Kyrgyz Republic 5-1 Chinese Taipei

Bishkek: A Joel Kojo hat-trick helped Kyrgyz Republic record an emphatic 5-1 home win over Chinese Taipei in Group D of the Preliminary Joint Qualification – Round 2 for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ tie on Tuesday.

The Central Asian nation had emerged 2-0 winners when the two sides met in Kaohsiung on Thursday, and they had little difficulty in collecting the three points again at home. A third win on the trot sees Kyrgyz Republic move temporarily top of Group D with nine points while Chinese Taipei remain winless and rooted to the bottom of the group.

Preview - Group D: Kyrgyz Republic v Chinese Taipei; Malaysia v Oman

Sun, 24 Mar, 2024

Preview - Group D: Kyrgyz Republic v Chinese Taipei; Malaysia v Oman

Kuala Lumpur: It’s all to play for in Group D with Oman, Kyrgyz Republic and Malaysia on six points and each of them will be looking to gain an advantage on Matchday Four of the Preliminary Joint Qualification - Round 2 for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ on Tuesday.

Kyrgyz Republic will be aiming to complete the double over Chinese Taipei while Malaysia will rely on home ground advantage to bounce back from last week’s defeat to Oman.

Silhavy applauds Oman’s drive; focused Kyrgyz Republic thrill Tarkovic

Fri, 22 Mar, 2024

Silhavy applauds Oman’s drive; focused Kyrgyz Republic thrill Tarkovic

Muscat: Oman head coach Jaroslav Silhavy was delighted after his side cruised to a 2-0 win over Malaysia to revive their Preliminary Joint Qualification – Round 2 for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ Group D hopes on Thursday.

The West Asian side could have won by a wider margin but Silhavy was pleased with the performance of the players in the Czech’s first match as head coach. 
 

Group D: Chinese Taipei 0-2 Kyrgyz Republic

Fri, 22 Mar, 2024

Group D: Chinese Taipei 0-2 Kyrgyz Republic

Kaohsiung: Kyrgyz Republic secured their second win in a row after defeating Chinese Taipei  2-0 in their Preliminary Joint Qualification - Round 2 for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ Group D tie at the Nanzih Football Stadium on Thursday.

Second half goals from Valeriy Kichin and Kai Merk sealed the three points for Stefan Tarkovic’s men, with the two sides to meet again in Bishkek on Tuesday.

Preview - Group D: Chinese Taipei v Kyrgyz Republic; Oman v Malaysia

Fri, 15 Mar, 2024

Preview - Group D: Chinese Taipei v Kyrgyz Republic; Oman v Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur: Group D leaders Malaysia will be looking to extend their Preliminary Joint Qualification - Round 2 for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ winning run when they meet Oman on Thursday.

Chinese Taipei host Kyrgyz Republic in the group’s other tie with both sides seeking wins to boost their chances.

Abdysh-Ata advance in style

Wed, 13 Mar, 2024

Abdysh-Ata advance in style

Kaohsiung: FK Abdysh-Ata Kant confirmed their place in the Inter-Zone final of the AFC Cup™ 2023/24 after coming back from behind to beat Taichung Futuro FC 3-1 in the second leg of their Inter-Zone semi-final on Wednesday.

After suffering a 5-0 defeat to Abdysh-Ata in the first leg in Bishkek, Benchy Estama gave hosts Taichung a glimmer of hope when he pulled them into the lead two minutes into the return leg at Nanzih Football Stadium. 
 
But second half goals from Farkhat Musabekov, Magamed Uzdenov and Nurlanbek Sarykbaev sealed an 8-1 aggregate win for the Kyrgyz Republic side and sent them through to the next stage where they will face either Australia’s Central Coast Mariners or Odisha FC of India. 

Preview - Inter-Zone SF 2nd Leg: Taichung Futuro FC (TPE) 0 v 5 FK Abdysh-Ata Kant (KGZ)

Wed, 13 Mar, 2024

Preview - Inter-Zone SF 2nd Leg: Taichung Futuro FC (TPE) 0 v 5 FK Abdysh-Ata Kant (KGZ)

Kaohsiung: Taichung Futuro FC have it all to do when they face FK Abdysh-Ata Kant in the return leg of their AFC Cup™ 2023/24 Inter-Zone semi-final at the Nanzih Football Stadium on Wednesday.

The Chinese Taipei side have to overturn a five-goal deficit after Abdysh-Ata’s dominant display in last week’s first leg but head coach Peng Wu-sung is optimistic about his team’s chances of reaching the next round.

Polished Australia please Blayney

Sat, 09 Mar, 2024

Polished Australia please Blayney

Tashkent: Head coach Leah Blayney was proud that Australia managed to subdue a resilient Chinese Taipei to end their AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup™ Uzbekistan 2024 Group A campaign with a perfect record of three wins on Saturday.

The 3-0 victory at the Do’stlik Stadium not only confirmed Australia’s place in the semi-finals as group winners but also booked the Young Matildas' ticket to the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Colombia 2024.