Central & South Asia Wrap: Mumbai City clinch Winners Shield in style; Sepahan stay top

Mon, 13 Feb, 2023

Central & South Asia Wrap: Mumbai City clinch Winners Shield in style; Sepahan stay top

Mumbai: Mumbai City defeated FC Goa 5-3 to win the Indian Super League Winners Shield, while Sepahan maintained their grip on top of the Islamic Republic of Iran Pro League.

Bashundhara Kings continued to impress after posting their ninth consecutive victory in the Bangladesh Premier League.
 
Join the-AFC.com as we take a look at the latest domestic action across Central and South Asia.

ASEAN & East Asia Wrap: Marinos secure Japanese Super Cup; Doumbouya rescues Buriram

Mon, 13 Feb, 2023

ASEAN & East Asia Wrap: Marinos secure Japanese Super Cup; Doumbouya rescues Buriram

Hong Kong: Takuma Nishimura bagged the winner as J1 League champions Yokohama F. Marinos defeated the 2022 Emperor’s Cup winners Ventforet Kofu 2-1 to claim their maiden Japanese Super Cup title in the season curtain raiser in Tokyo on Saturday. 

Guinean striker Lonsana Doumbouya scored four times in two games for Buriram United in Thailand, including an extra-time winner against Uthai Thani FC to send his side into the quarter-finals of the FA Cup and another to rescue a 4-4 draw against Muangthong United in Thai League 1. 
 
In Australia, Melbourne City extended their lead at the top of the A-League with a 4-2 defeat of Perth Glory while matches also took place in Indonesia, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Cambodia, so join the-AFC.com as we review the week’s action from across ASEAN and East Asia.

West Asia Wrap: Thrilling race continues in Saudi Arabia; Al Duhail, Al Saad set up Qatar Cup final

Mon, 13 Feb, 2023

West Asia Wrap: Thrilling race continues in Saudi Arabia; Al Duhail, Al Saad set up Qatar Cup final

Doha: Al Ittihad turned on the power as they took a share of the lead in the Saudi Pro League, with three teams tied on 37 points at the top of the standings.

Al Duhail and Al Sadd, meanwhile, are set to face off in the 2022 Qatar Cup final while in the UAE, Sharjah are the new leaders.
 
There was also action in Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon and Palestine so join the-AFC.com as review the latest round of domestic action across West Asia.

FC Nasaf's continental journey through the years

Fri, 10 Feb, 2023

FC Nasaf's continental journey through the years

Kuala Lumpur: When FC Nasaf take to the pitch against Saudi Arabia’s Al Shabab in Al Wakrah in Qatar on February 19, they will become the fourth Uzbek side to appear in the AFC Champions League™ knockout rounds and first from outside of the capital, Tashkent. 

The knockout fixture at Al Janoub Stadium may mark the Qarshi-based side’s first appearance in the Round of 16, but Nasaf have no shortage of pedigree when it comes to Asian club competitions, having lifted the AFC Cup™ in 2011. 
 
And while the Tashkent trio of Pakhtakor, Bunyodkor and Lokomotiv have dominated domestically over the past two decades, Nasaf remain the only club from the Central Asian country who can lay claim to being a continental champion. 
 
As Ruziqul Berdiev’s team prepare for the last 16 tie against the Riyadh giants, the-AFC.com looks back at Nasaf’s performances on the continent over the last 20 years. 

Competitive Al Hilal please Diaz

Sun, 12 Feb, 2023

Competitive Al Hilal please Diaz

Rabat: Head coach Ramon Diaz admitted Real Madrid were the superior team but applauded his Al Hilal SFC side for going toe-to-toe with the European champions in the FIFA Club World Cup Morocco 2022 final on Saturday.

Real Madrid, in lifting the trophy for a record-extending fifth time, seized control from the start but reigning AFC Champions League™ holders Al Hilal refused to give up, with the thrilling final ultimately ending 5-3 in favour of the Spanish side.

Shaikh Salman lauds Al Hilal on best-ever FIFA Club World Cup campaign

Sun, 12 Feb, 2023

Shaikh Salman lauds Al Hilal on best-ever FIFA Club World Cup campaign

Kuala Lumpur: Asian Football Confederation (AFC) President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa has commended Al Hilal SFC on achieving their best-ever showing at the FIFA Club World Cup after finishing as runners-up to champions Real Madrid in a thrilling final at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, Morocco on Saturday.

The four-time Asian club champions had earlier produced one of the most stunning performances of the tournament after defeating Brazilian heavyweights Flamengo in the semi-finals to emerge as the first Saudi Arabian side to reach the FIFA Club World Cup decider.