ASEAN Wrap: Buriram extend lead; Melbourne City drop first points

Mon, 31 Oct, 2022

ASEAN Wrap: Buriram extend lead; Melbourne City drop first points

Kuala Lumpur: A top-of-the-table clash in Thailand on Sunday saw leaders and defending champions Buriram United increase their advantage at the Thai League 1 summit to four points over the chasing Bangkok United following a 1-0 win at Buriram Stadium.

Jamie Maclaren scored in the fourth successive match for Melbourne City, but that wasn’t enough for them to get three points against Wellington Phoenix as Western Sydney Wanderers capitalised on the slip-up to move level on points with the A-League leaders. 
 
There was cup action in Malaysia and Singapore while games also took place in Vietnam, the Philippines, Cambodia and Myanmar. The-AFC.com looks back at all the action from across Southeast Asia.

East Asia Wrap: Jeonbuk taste FA Cup glory; J1 League title race goes down to the wire

Mon, 31 Oct, 2022

East Asia Wrap: Jeonbuk taste FA Cup glory; J1 League title race goes down to the wire

Hong Kong: Modou Barrow and Cho Gue-sung were the heroes as Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors lifted the Korean FA Cup title with a 5-3 aggregate win over FC Seoul on Sunday while a last-gasp extra-time goal from Oh Hyeon-gyu helped Suwon Samsung Bluewings avoid relegation in Korea Republic. 

In Japan, the J1 League title is to be decided on the closing day of the season after leaders Yokohama F. Marinos and defending champions Kawasaki Frontale registered wins on Saturday to keep the difference between them at just two points. 
 
There were also league fixtures in China PR, Hong Kong, Mongolia and Chinese Taipei, so join the-AFC.com as we recap all of last week’s action from across East Asia.

West Asia Wrap: Stage set for exciting finale in Jordan

Mon, 31 Oct, 2022

West Asia Wrap: Stage set for exciting finale in Jordan

Doha: The destination of the Jordanian Pro League title will be decided on Thursday's final day of the season with three teams in the running following last week's action.

Al Faisaly played to a 1-1 draw with Al Wehdat to hold a one-point lead going into the final round of matches, with Al Hussein also very much in the running should the top two slip up.

In the United Arab Emirates, there is a three-way tie at the top in an intriguing title race. There was also action in Iraq, Lebanon and Palestine so join the-AFC.com as we take a look at last week's action. 

Flashback: Troussier relives Japan's amazing 2002 campaign

Mon, 31 Oct, 2022

Flashback: Troussier relives Japan's amazing 2002 campaign

Kuala Lumpur: With the countdown for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 gaining pace, the-AFC.com has dug into its archives in search of classic matches and momentous occasions involving Asian teams.

We kick-off the series with a look back at 2002 when the FIFA World Cup was first held in Asia. 

Co-hosting the global showpiece with Korea Republic, Japan were aiming to make heads turn on and off the pitch in. Philippe Troussier was the man in charge as head coach and we reproduce an interview with the Frenchman which was published on 14 June, 2020 to get a grip on how Japan's historical campaign unfolded. 

Asian Moments at the FIFA World Cup: 1994

Sun, 30 Oct, 2022

Asian Moments at the FIFA World Cup: 1994

Kuala Lumpur: As we move ever closer towards the FIFA World Cup™ Qatar 2022 and the football world converging on Asia for the global showpiece, the-AFC.com continues its series where we look back at the displays of Asian teams in the tournament over the years.

Having reviewed the 1990 competition last time round, we turn our focus to the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States which was the last one with just two representatives from Asia and where the displays by both Saudi Arabia and Korea Republic only justified the inclusion of more Asian nations in the later editions.

Asian Moments at the FIFA World Cup: 1990

Fri, 28 Oct, 2022

Asian Moments at the FIFA World Cup: 1990

Kuala Lumpur: The FIFA World Cup returns to Asia for the second time as Qatar welcomes the world in the exceptional November-December edition in which they are set to become the 13th different team to represent the continent in the global football showpiece.

As we count down towards the opening game between Qatar and Ecuador at Al Bayt Stadium, the-AFC.com goes on a journey down memory lane to remember some of the most memorable moments for Asian football at the FIFA World Cup.

The 1990 FIFA World Cup saw Korea Republic and the United Arab Emirates make strides forward in their footballing histories.

Despite not winning a single game, Korea Republic ended up unearthing two players who would forever become icons of Korean football, while the UAE’s rise to prominence in Asian football was marked with a debut FIFA World Cup appearance six years before they reached the AFC Asian Cup final.

Asian Moments at the FIFA World Cup: 1986

Fri, 28 Oct, 2022

Asian Moments at the FIFA World Cup: 1986

Kuala Lumpur: With the FIFA World Cup™ Qatar 2022 drawing ever closer, the-AFC.com continues its series of looking back at how the Asian teams have performed at the global showpiece over the years.

Having looked at the early editions last time out, we turn our focus to the 1986 tournament in Mexico when Iraq made their first and, to date, only appearance at the FIFA World Cup and Korea Republic returned 32 years after making their debut in 1954.