ASEAN Wrap: Sydney FC win derby; Buriram five points clear

Mon, 04 Mar, 2024

ASEAN Wrap: Sydney FC win derby; Buriram five points clear

Kuala Lumpur: Fabio Gomes bagged a brace as Sydney FC overcame Western Sydney Wanderers 4-1 in the Sydney derby on Friday while Central Coast Mariners edged Newcastle Jets 1-0 in the F3 derby to keep up the pressure on Wellington Phoenix who have a three-point advantage at the top in Australia.

In Thailand, Buriram United bounced back from a shock FA Cup exit to third-tier side Bangkok FC during the midweek with a come-from-behind 3-2 win against Bangkok United in a high-stakes contest on Sunday which gave Arthur Papas’ side a five-point lead after 20 rounds. 
 
Nam Dinh also extended their lead at the top of the table in Vietnam to five points after a late victory against Song Lam Nghe An and matches also took place in Indonesia and Cambodia, so join the-AFC.com as we review the week’s action from ASEAN.

Blayney praises resilient Australia; Park vows Korea Republic will bounce back

Sun, 03 Mar, 2024

Blayney praises resilient Australia; Park vows Korea Republic will bounce back

Tashkent: Head coach Leah Blayney applauded Australia for displaying a fighting mentality in their 2-1 win over Korea Republic in Group A of the AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup™ 2024 Uzbekistan on Sunday.

Australia found themselves trailing to Jeon Yug-yeong’s 25th minute goal but Blayney’s side came back fighting under challenging conditions in the second half to win through goals from Peta Trimis and Naomi Chinnama.

Hsieh wants Chinese Taipei to keep improving; Uzbekistan’s Khanjariev laments poor second half

Mon, 04 Mar, 2024

Hsieh wants Chinese Taipei to keep improving; Uzbekistan’s Khanjariev laments poor second half

Tashkent: Hsieh Chih-chun wants Chinese Taipei to use their 2-0 win over Uzbekistan in Group A of the AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup™ Uzbekistan 2024 as a stepping stone for bigger and better things in the tournament.

The 53-year-old head coach was pleased with his side’s opening victory but was well aware of the tougher challenges ahead with matches against Australia and Korea Republic to come.

Quarter-finals: 5 things to look out for

Sun, 03 Mar, 2024

Quarter-finals: 5 things to look out for

Kuala Lumpur: The AFC Champions League™ 2023/24 quarter-finals are drawing ever nearer as the eight remaining sides in the continental competition get set to take to the field once more in the coming week.

With three clubs still vying for the title, Saudi Arabia has more representatives than any other nation, while teams from Korea Republic (2), China PR, Japan and the United Arab Emirates also remain in the hunt. 
 
Ahead of the matches between March 4 and 6, the-AFC.com has selected five things to look out for.

Quarter-finals: Ones to Watch

Fri, 01 Mar, 2024

Quarter-finals: Ones to Watch

Kuala Lumpur: From the 40 clubs that began the journey in the group stage last September, we are now down to the final eight sides in the AFC Champions League™ 2023/24 as the race to be crowned kings of the continent heats up. 

The tournament has again showcased a host of stars, with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Sadio Mane still in contention to add an AFC Champions League title to the UEFA Champions League titles they have won previously, while plenty of other big-name players have also turned on the style. 
 
With the first legs of the quarter-finals set to take place between March 4-6, the-AFC.com highlights eight players who could be the difference makers for their respective sides. 

Preview - QF: Al Ain FC (UAE) v Al Nassr (KSA)

Tue, 05 Mar, 2024

Preview - QF: Al Ain FC (UAE) v Al Nassr (KSA)

Al Ain: Al Ain FC will look to make home ground advantage count when they host Al Nassr in the first leg of their AFC Champions League™ 2023/24 quarter-final on Monday.

The inaugural AFC Champions League winners, Al Ain will be bidding to make the semi-finals for the first time since 2014 while Al Nassr will be aiming to do so since back-to-back appearances in the last four stage in the 2020 and 2021 seasons.