Central & South Asia Wrap: Sepahan unstoppable; Abdysh-Ata set up Cup final with Neftchi

Mon, 29 Aug, 2022

Central & South Asia Wrap: Sepahan unstoppable; Abdysh-Ata set up Cup final with Neftchi

Bishkek: Sepahan continued their fine performance to stay top of the Iran Pro League, while Abdysh-Ata Kant and PFC Neftchi are through to the Kyrgyz Republic Cup final after finishing top two in the domestic league season. 

India’s Durand Cup is well underway with Mohammedan being the first team through to the quarter-finals.

Join the-AFC.com as we highlight the domestic scene across Central and South Asia.

Japan go down to Spain in final

Mon, 29 Aug, 2022

Japan go down to Spain in final

San Jose: Japan’s hopes of clinching their second consecutive FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup title were dashed after a 3-1 defeat to Spain in the Costa Rica 2022 final at the National Stadium on Sunday.

Inma Gabarro extended her tally in the goal scoring charts with the opener before a brace from Salma Paralluelo gave Spain a three-goal cushion going into the break, with Japan scoring a consolation through Suzu Amano after the restart.

Brazil took third place after defeating the Netherlands 4-1 in the playoff.

ASEAN Wrap: Borneo top in Indonesia; quartet remain perfect in Thailand

Mon, 29 Aug, 2022

ASEAN Wrap: Borneo top in Indonesia; quartet remain perfect in Thailand

Kuala Lumpur: Borneo FC defeated Persis Solo 2-1 on Sunday as their sixth win in seven games at the start of the Liga 1 season kept them top of the standings in Indonesia. 

Three games into the campaign in Thailand and it’s Bangkok United who lead the way although four sides still boast perfect records, while Lion City Sailors posted yet another huge win in Singapore. 

Elsewhere across Southeast Asia, frontrunners Hanoi FC were held in Vietnam, the gap at the top is closing in Cambodia, Young Elephants completed the double in Laos and there was also action in the Philippines and Myanmar. The-AFC.com looks back on the latest rounds of fixtures. 

East Asia Wrap: Sanfrecce, Kawasaki win in Japan; Hong Kong Premier League kicks off

Mon, 29 Aug, 2022

East Asia Wrap: Sanfrecce, Kawasaki win in Japan; Hong Kong Premier League kicks off

Hong Kong: Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Kawasaki Frontale both picked up wins over the weekend to keep the pressure on J1 League leaders Yokohama F. Marinos at the top.

K League 1 frontrunners Ulsan Hyundai were held by Jeju United in Korea Republic, while Wuhan Three Towns keep on winning in China PR and domestic action returned to Hong Kong.

Elsewhere, there were fixtures in Chinese Taipei and Macau, so join the-AFC.com as we wrap up the action from around East Asia. 

West Asia Wrap: Flying start for Al Hilal; Al Faisaly, Al Wehdat stay tight in Jordan

Mon, 29 Aug, 2022

West Asia Wrap: Flying start for Al Hilal; Al Faisaly, Al Wehdat stay tight in Jordan

Dubai: Al Hilal SFC kicked off their defence of the Saudi Pro League title with a win over Ettifaq.

In Jordan,  Al Faisaly and Al Wehdat maintained their exciting chase for the title while Qatar champions Al Sadd SC suffered defeat again.

Join the-AFC.com as we review the past week's domestic action across West Asia.

#ACL2022 (East): What They Said

Fri, 26 Aug, 2022

#ACL2022 (East): What They Said

Kuala Lumpur: After four days and seven matches of thrilling action in Saitama, the identity of the east region’s representative at the 2022 AFC Champions League Final was revealed: Japan’s Urawa Red Diamonds.

With memorable moments a-plenty as a number of teams and players wrote new chapters into their histories. The-AFC.com looks back at what those involved had to say.

#ACL2022 (East): Knockout Stage in Numbers

Sat, 27 Aug, 2022

#ACL2022 (East): Knockout Stage in Numbers

Kuala Lumpur: The 2022 AFC Champions League (EAST) knockout stage was held over the past two weeks in Saitama as a whirlwind few days of action ended in Japan’s Urawa Red Diamonds booking their place in next February’s grand finale.

From the 19 teams that took part in the group stage (EAST) when it kicked off back in April just one remains as the representative to face the best of the west and be crowned kings of Asia. 

With the competition now taking a break until the action returns with the knockout stages in the West next year, the-AFC.com looks back at the numbers that stood out after the recent set of games.

I knew we would win, says Urawa's Rodriguez

Fri, 26 Aug, 2022

I knew we would win, says Urawa's Rodriguez

Saitama: Urawa Red Diamonds head coach Ricardo Rodriguez was confident his side would prevail in their penalty shootout against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors as the Japanese outfit secured their spot in February’s AFC Champions League™ 2022 final at the end of a dramatic semi-final at Saitama Stadium 2002 on Thursday.

Goalkeeper Shusaku Nishikawa saved penalties from Kim Bo-kyung and Lee Seung-gi to set up a 3-1 shoot-out win for the two-time winners after a breathless conclusion to extra-time saw the game end in a 2-2 draw.
 
Yusuke Matsuo put Urawa in front before Paik Seung-ho’s penalty levelled the scores while Kasper Junker hit the post in the dying moments of regulation time. Han Kyo-won then thought he had won the tie for Jeonbuk before Junker’s last-gasp equaliser took the game to penalties.

Kim: Fatigue, jitters caused Jeonbuk's defeat

Fri, 26 Aug, 2022

Kim: Fatigue, jitters caused Jeonbuk's defeat

Saitama: Fatigue especially, and jitters were the reasons Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors' AFC Champions League™ 2022 dream ended on Thursday.

Kim Sang-sik's side gave the semi-final tie against Japan's Urawa Red Diamonds their all but a third consecutive match that went to extra-time took its toll on the Korea Republic champions, with their head coach admitting that fatigue and nervousness led to them crashing out.