East Asia & ASEAN Wrap: Kawasaki win Super Cup; Buriram rise to top

Mon, 19 Feb, 2024

East Asia & ASEAN Wrap: Kawasaki win Super Cup; Buriram rise to top

Kuala Lumpur: Sai van Wermeskerken made a memorable first start for Kawasaki Frontale as his second-half goal helped Toru Oniki’s side edge J1 League champions Vissel Kobe 1-0 and lift the Japanese Super Cup in front of more than 52,000 fans at Tokyo’s National Stadium on Saturday.

Bangkok United’s stint as leaders in Thailand, which began last November, ended on Sunday as defending champions Buriram United rose to the top for the first time this season and took a one-point lead following a 4-3 victory against Trat FC.
 
Melbourne City and Melbourne Victory played out a goalless draw in the Melbourne derby in Australia on Saturday while matches also took place in Vietnam, Hong Kong and Cambodia, so join the-AFC.com as we review the week’s action from ASEAN and East Asia.

Central & South Asia Wrap: Esteghlal maintain lead; Mohun Bagan in red hot form

Mon, 19 Feb, 2024

Central & South Asia Wrap: Esteghlal maintain lead; Mohun Bagan in red hot form

Tehran: Esteghlal secured their 10th Iran Pro League victory with 1-0 win over Sanat Naft to maintain a four-point lead at the top while defending champions Persepolis suffered a setback following a 1-0 loss to Aluminium Arak.

Mohun Bagan Supergiant are in a rich vein of form, posting wins against FC Goa and Northeast United FC in the Indian Super League (ISL) while Bashundhara Kings lead the race in Bangladesh.

ASEAN Zonal Final: 3 Classic Match-ups

Mon, 19 Feb, 2024

ASEAN Zonal Final: 3 Classic Match-ups

Kuala Lumpur: The AFC Cup™ 2023/24 saw Australian teams enter for the first time and they have excelled with Central Coast Mariners and Macarthur FC set to contest in the ASEAN Zonal final on Thursday with a place in the Inter-Zone semi-finals on the line. 

It was back in 2017 when the Zonal format was introduced, intensifying the regional rivalry with clubs from Southeast Asia needing to progress from the group stage and then win two knockout round ties to be crowned ASEAN champions before advancing to the next phase of the continental tournament. 
 
With the fifth ASEAN Zonal final just days away, the-AFC.com looks back at some of the most memorable ties over the years.

Preview - West Zonal SF 2nd Leg: Al Nahda (OMA) 1 v 1 Al Riffa (BHR)

Tue, 20 Feb, 2024

Preview - West Zonal SF 2nd Leg: Al Nahda (OMA) 1 v 1 Al Riffa (BHR)

Muscat: Al Nahda will be aiming to get the job done when they host Al Riffa in the second leg of their AFC Cup™ 2023/24 West Zonal semi-final on Monday.

The teams drew 1-1 in last week's first leg and Al Nahda will be counting on home ground advantage to take them through to the West Zonal final.

R16 2nd leg: 5 things to look out for

Sun, 18 Feb, 2024

R16 2nd leg: 5 things to look out for

Kuala Lumpur: The AFC Champions League™ 2023/24 returned with a bang last week as the  remaining sides in the continental competition faced off in the first leg of the Round of 16. 

And the return meetings come hot on the heels as the teams get set to face off again in the second legs between Tuesday and Thursday when the quarter-finalists will be confirmed. 
 
Ahead of the eight match-ups across the continent, the-AFC.com has selected five things to look out for. 

Vote for your #AsianCup2023 NEOM Future Star

Fri, 16 Feb, 2024

Vote for your #AsianCup2023 NEOM Future Star

Kuala Lumpur: Some of the best young talents on the continent dazzled in spectacular fashion at the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™ as they displayed their ability on the biggest stage. 

After Qatar’s win over Jordan in the final saw the Maroons defend their title, the-AFC.com now looks back on the tournament and asks you, the fans, to determine the standout NEOM Future Star of the Tournament.
 
We’ve selected 10 nominees who delivered eye-catching performances throughout the AFC Asian Cup, so review the list and don’t forget to vote for your favourite NEOM Future Star at the bottom of the article.