ASEAN Wrap: Albirex crowned champions; Western’s title defence begins with loss

Mon, 10 Oct, 2022

ASEAN Wrap: Albirex crowned champions; Western’s title defence begins with loss

Kuala Lumpur: Albirex Niigata (S) have claimed their fifth Singapore Premier League title in seven seasons after they defeated defending champions Lion City Sailors 4-2 on Friday to win the league with two games to spare. 

In Australia, the new A-League season kicked off on Friday as defending champions Western United began with a defeat to Melbourne City while Melbourne Victory can enjoy 'Big Blue' bragging rights after defeating rivals Sydney FC.
 
Elsewhere, Chonburi FC made it six wins out of six in Thailand, while there were also matches in Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Cambodia and Myanmar, so join the-AFC.com as we review all the action from across Southeast Asia. 

East Asia Wrap: Ulsan defeat Jeonbuk to close in on title; leaders Marinos beaten

Mon, 10 Oct, 2022

East Asia Wrap: Ulsan defeat Jeonbuk to close in on title; leaders Marinos beaten

Hong Kong: After going so close, yet so far during the last few years, it finally looks like Ulsan Hyundai’s season in Korea Republic as a last-gasp 2-1 win over defending champions Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors has them just one win away from a first K League 1 title since 2005. 

In Japan, leaders Yokohama F. Marinos stumbled to a 2-0 defeat to struggling Gamba Osaka whose survival hopes received a major boost, while reigning champions Kawasaki Frontale won to close the gap at the top to five points with three games left to play. 
 
Table-toppers Wuhan Three Towns opened up a three-point lead in China PR after title rivals Shandong Taishan dropped points against Beijing FC, and there were also matches in Hong Kong, Mongolia and Chinese Taipei, so join the-AFC.com as we look back at last week’s action from across East Asia. 

#AFCU17 Qualifiers - MD5 Results & Reports

Mon, 10 Oct, 2022

#AFCU17 Qualifiers - MD5 Results & Reports

Kuala Lumpur: The AFC U17 Asian Cup™ 2023 Qualifiers came to an end after an enthralling day of action on Sunday. 

Japan (Group A), Malaysia (Group B), Qatar (Group C), Saudi Arabia (Group D), Yemen (Group E), Vietnam (Group F), Australia (Group G), Tajikistan (Group H), Islamic Republic of Iran (Group I) and Uzbekistan (Group J) advanced as the group winners. 

Advancing to the Finals as the best six runners-up were Korea Republic (Group J),  China PR (Group G), Afghanistan (Group H), India (Group D), Thailand (Group F) and Laos (Group I).

'Dream a little longer': KL City stars react to AFC Cup heroics

Sat, 08 Oct, 2022

'Dream a little longer': KL City stars react to AFC Cup heroics

Kuala Lumpur: Kuala Lumpur City FC created history on Wednesday when they booked their ticket to the AFC Cup™ 2022 final after defeating Uzbekistan’s PFC Sogdiana on penalties following a goalless draw to line up a date with Oman’s Al Seeb Club in the Malaysian capital on October 22. 

The Inter-Zone final victory in Jizzakh continues a remarkable rise for a club that was playing second-tier football as recently as 2020 before going on to defeat domestic powerhouse Johor Darul Ta’zim to win their first Malaysia Cup for more than three decades last season and qualify for a maiden AFC Cup. 

And they did not stop there, with KL City advancing from their group before overcoming Vietnam’s Viettel FC and Indonesia’s PSM Makassar to win the ASEAN Zone and then defeating India’s ATK Mohun Bagan in Kolkata in the Inter-Zone semi-finals. 

As the dust now settles on the shootout success in Uzbekistan and yet another result that will go down in the club’s history, the-AFC.com looks at how The City Boys have reacted to their latest triumph. 

Unity, self belief secured Japan championship, says Kogure

Sun, 09 Oct, 2022

Unity, self belief secured Japan championship, says Kogure

Kuwait City: Head coach Kenichiro Kogure attributed unity and self belief as the keys to Japan lifting their fourth AFC Futsal Asian Cup™ title on Saturday. 

Japan had a rough start to their Kuwait 2022 campaign, falling 2-1 to Saudi Arabia on Matchday One of the Group Stage, but the team’s unity and self belief saw the East Asians overcome all challenges to eventually dethrone Islamic Republic of Iran with a 3-2 comeback win at the Saad Al Abdullah Hall. 

Shamsaee: IR Iran will learn from final heartbreak

Sun, 09 Oct, 2022

Shamsaee: IR Iran will learn from final heartbreak

Kuwait City: Islamic Republic of Iran were unable to defend their AFC Futsal Asian Cup™ title after falling 3-2 to Japan in the Kuwait 2022 final, and head coach Vahid Shamsaee hopes his players can learn from Saturday's heartbreaking defeat. 

Iran opened the scoring at the Saad Al Abdullah Hall through Saied Ahmad Abbasi’s 15th-minute strike, only for Kazuya Shimizu to cancel out their lead a minute later. 

Despite Shamsaee's side dominating,  Japan took the lead in the second half through Arthur Oliveira’s sublime free-kick, and went further behind when Abbasi scored an own goal in the final minute, with Alireza Javan Shahkali’s last ditch effort coming too late as Iran were denied a record-extending 13th title.

Synergy led to Uzbekistan’s third-place finish, says Akhmedov

Sun, 09 Oct, 2022

Synergy led to Uzbekistan’s third-place finish, says Akhmedov

Kuwait City: Head coach Bakhodir Akhmedov credited the synergy between Uzbekistan’s young and experienced players for the Central Asian side’s third-place finish in the AFC Futsal Asian Cup™ Kuwait 2022 on Saturday. 

Uzbekistan were simply unstoppable after bouncing back from a goal down to defeat Thailand 8-2 at the Saad Al Abdullah Hall.