Europe Wrap: Scoring week for Asian stars

Tue, 17 Feb, 2026

Europe Wrap: Scoring week for Asian stars

Kuala Lumpur: Islamic Republic of Iran’s Allahyar Sayyad, Jordan’s Mousa Al Tamari, Syria’s Aiham Ousou and Japan’s Atsuki Ito all found the back of the net across Europe this past week.

Japan international Wataru Endo made his first league start of the season for Liverpool in the English Premier League but the midfielder’s joy was short-lived as he was stretchered out after the break with an ankle injury. 

Join the-AFC.com as we take a look at what Asia’s finest have been up to in Europe.

Al Ahli’s Jaissle relieved; Shabab’s Sousa rues errors

Tue, 17 Feb, 2026

Al Ahli’s Jaissle relieved; Shabab’s Sousa rues errors

Jeddah: Al Ahli Saudi FC head coach Matthias Jaissle admitted he had not anticipated a dramatic end after his side staved off a late fightback to defeat Shabab Al Ahli 4-3 in their concluding AFC Champions League Elite 2025/26™ tie on Monday.

Having already confirmed qualification, Jaissle’s squad rotation seemed to have worked out after the defending champions raced to a 4-0 lead.  

Shabab Al Ahli, however, kept going to come within a goal of salvaging a point, with Jaissle relieved that time ran out for the United Arab Emirates side. 

Al Shorta’s Sambou delighted; Al Duhail’s Belmadi frustrated

Tue, 17 Feb, 2026

Al Shorta’s Sambou delighted; Al Duhail’s Belmadi frustrated

Baghdad: Al Shorta - much to Al Duhail SC’s dismay - ended their AFC Champions League Elite 2025/26™ campaign on a high with a 3-2 win against the Qatari outfit on Monday.

Senegal’s Bouly Sambou netted twice in the second half to power Iraq’s Al Shorta to the first win of their campaign, a result which left Al Duhail’s Round of 16 hopes hanging in the air.

Inzaghi happy as Al Hilal show strength in depth

Tue, 17 Feb, 2026

Inzaghi happy as Al Hilal show strength in depth

Riyadh: Simone Inzaghi saw plenty of positives from Al Hilal SFC’s 2-1 win against Al Wahda FC in their AFC Champions League Elite 2025/26™ tie on Monday which saw the Saudi Arabia side top the West Zone standings for the second season running. 

The Italian tactician gave minutes to fringe players and was rewarded with good performances as the former Serie A winning head coach juggled the demands of domestic and continental matches.

Joy for Nasaf’s Berdiev; disappointment for Sharjah’s Morais

Tue, 17 Feb, 2026

Joy for Nasaf’s Berdiev; disappointment for Sharjah’s Morais

Sharjah: There was - finally - delight for Ruzikul Berdiev in the AFC Champions League Elite 2025/26™ after his PFC Nasaf side concluded their campaign with a 2-1 win against Sharjah FC on Monday.

After a difficult season which had seen the Uzbekistan side lose six of their seven previous matches, Berdiev was happy to see his players close out their continental journey on a positive note.

Know your team: IR Iran

Mon, 16 Feb, 2026

Know your team: IR Iran

Kuala Lumpur: Islamic Republic of Iran will be aiming to create more history when they compete against Asia’s elite at the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026™.

After making a historic debut at India 2022, Iran showed grit in a challenging qualifying campaign that ended with a win against favourites Jordan to seal back-to-back Finals appearances.