Europe Wrap: Doan wins it for Freiburg; Taremi rescues point for Porto

Tue, 16 Apr, 2024

Europe Wrap: Doan wins it for Freiburg; Taremi rescues point for Porto

Kuala Lumpur: Ritsu Doan’s stunning strike ensured a 1-0 win for SC Freiburg against SV Darmstadt 98 in the Bundesliga on Sunday and kept the Japan winger’s club in strong contention for a place in Europe next season. 

Mehdi Taremi came off the bench and salvaged a point for FC Porto as the Iranian striker levelled the score at 2-2 with eight minutes left on Saturday, as Hidemasa Morita’s Sporting Lisbon inched closer to the league title in Portugal with a 4-0 defeat of Gil Vicente. 
 
Uzbekistan captain Eldor Shomurodov scored to deny Inter a win in Italy, Australia defender Charlotte Grant advanced to the Women’s FA Cup final with Tottenham Hotspur in England and Thailand's Nicholas Mickelson was on target in Denmark, so join the-AFC.com as we find out how the Asian stars performed in Europe over the past week. 

Group A: Qatar 2-0 Indonesia

Tue, 16 Apr, 2024

Group A: Qatar 2-0 Indonesia

Doha: Qatar opened their AFC U23 Asian Cup Qatar 2024™ Group A campaign with a convincing 2-0 win over Indonesia at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium on Monday. 

Qatar took the lead just before the halftime break through Khaled Ali’s penalty, with Ahmed Al Rawi scoring the second with a stunning free-kick after Indonesia were reduced to 10 men a minute into the second half.

Group A: Australia 0-0 Jordan

Tue, 16 Apr, 2024

Group A: Australia 0-0 Jordan

Doha: Ten-man Jordan held on to record a 0-0 draw with Australia at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium on Monday as the two nations shared the points in their opening Group A encounter in the AFC U23 Asian Cup Qatar 2024™.

Jordan captain Danial Afaneh was sent off in the 82nd minute for a second bookable offence but Abdallah Abu Zema’s side kept the Olyroos at bay at the end of a cagey clash that yielded few clear-cut goal scoring opportunities for either side.

Preview - West Semi-final (1st Leg): Al Ain FC (UAE) v Al Hilal SFC (KSA)

Thu, 18 Apr, 2024

Preview - West Semi-final (1st Leg): Al Ain FC (UAE) v Al Hilal SFC (KSA)

Al Ain: Al Ain FC will have to overcome a major hurdle if their dream to lift the coveted AFC Champions League™ trophy for a second time is to be realised.

Winners of the inaugural edition in 2003, standing in Al Ain's way in the semi-finals of the 2023/24 edition are a phenomenal Al Hilal SFC.
 
Al Ain are making a return to the semi-final stage for the first time since 2016, when they went on to finish runners-up to Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors of Korea Republic but the United Arab Emirates' side have, however, played some incredible football on the continental stage and will not be overawed by Al Hilal despite the Saudi Arabian side's incredible form.

Preview - West Zone Final (1st Leg): Al Ahed FC (LBN) v Al Nahda (OMA)

Wed, 17 Apr, 2024

Preview - West Zone Final (1st Leg): Al Ahed FC (LBN) v Al Nahda (OMA)

Karbala: It will be a meeting between familiar foes when Al Ahed FC and Al Nahda square off in the first leg of the AFC Cup™ 2023/24 West Zone final on Tuesday.

The sides had already faced off in Group A and with either team having won once, the West Zone final is set to be tight affair.
 
Al Ahed, seeking a second title after having emerged champions in 2019, know they need to win by a comfortable margin ahead of next week's return leg in Muscat.

#ACL - Semi-Final (East): Ones to Watch

Sat, 13 Apr, 2024

#ACL - Semi-Final (East): Ones to Watch

Kuala Lumpur: Some of the best players in Asia will battle it out as Korean champions Ulsan Hyundai FC meet Japan’s Yokohama F. Marinos in the upcoming East Zone semi-finals of the AFC Champions League™ 2023/24.

With the stakes high, the spotlight shines brightly as both sets of players aim to make an impact and send their team through to face either the United Arab Emirates’ Al Ain FC or Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal SFC for the ultimate prize in Asian club football.
 
With the two-legged semi-final taking place on April 17 and 24, join the-AFC.com as we take a look at three stars from each side who could help decide who will advance to next month’s final.

#AFCCup - Inter-Zone Final: Key Players

Mon, 15 Apr, 2024

#AFCCup - Inter-Zone Final: Key Players

Bishkek: The AFC Cup™ 2023/24 is into the business end of the competition with Kyrgyz Republic champions Abdysh-Ata Kant set to take on the reigning A-League titleholders Central Coast Mariners in the Inter-Zone final.

The first leg of the tie will be held in Bishkek on Wednesday before the return leg in Gosford a week later as both sides set their eyes on reaching the final in what is their debut campaigns in the AFC Cup.
 
As the teams get set to meet in the Kyrgyz capital, the-AFC.com selects two players from each side who could prove pivotal in their quests to reach the grand finale.

ASEAN Wrap: Bangkok reach FA Cup semis; Sydney down Wanderers in derby

Mon, 15 Apr, 2024

ASEAN Wrap: Bangkok reach FA Cup semis; Sydney down Wanderers in derby

Kuala Lumpur: Bangkok United are one win away from booking a place in the Thai FA Cup final for the second consecutive season after Vander’s late winner helped them defeat Lamphun Warriors 1-0 on Wednesday and set up a semi-final clash with third-division side Udon United who upset Chonburi FC in their quarter-final tie. 

Jaiden Kucharski’s 98th-minute goal proved decisive in a thrilling finish as Sydney FC defeated Western Sydney Wanderers in the third and final Sydney derby of the regular season in Australia while defending champions Central Coast Mariners stayed in the lead ahead of the first leg of their AFC Cup™ 2023/24 Inter-Zone final against FK Abdysh-Ata Kant. 
 
Phnom Penh Crown and Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng set up a title clash in the Hun Sen Cup in Cambodia while reigning champions Kaya FC-Iloilo are among the four teams to win their first two matches of the new league season in the Philippines, so join the-AFC.com as we review the week’s action from ASEAN.

Central & South Asia Wrap: Tantalising title decider in India

Mon, 15 Apr, 2024

Central & South Asia Wrap: Tantalising title decider in India

Mumbai: Mumbai City FC and Mohun Bagan Super Giant set up a mouth-watering final day League Shield face-off to decide the winners of the Indian Super League. 

It remained neck and neck in the Iran Pro League with Esteghlal FC and Persepolis FC both picking up victories in the latest round of matches while in Turkmenistan, FK Arkadag continued their fine start to the season.
 
Join the-AFC.com as we recap the past week’s domestic league action from Central and South Asia.

East Asia Wrap: Ulsan gain momentum; Port win thriller against Shandong

Mon, 15 Apr, 2024

East Asia Wrap: Ulsan gain momentum; Port win thriller against Shandong

Hong Kong: Ulsan Hyundai warmed up for Wednesday’s AFC Champions League™ 2023/24 semi-final first leg against Japan’s Yokohama F. Marinos with an impressive 4-0 defeat of Gangwon FC which saw the K League 1 defending champions move two points behind leaders Pohang Steelers. 

Wu Lei scored his sixth and seventh goals of the season to power reigning champions Shanghai Port to a comeback win against Shandong Taishan in China PR on Sunday as unbeaten Shanghai Shenhua continued to lead the standings despite a 1-1 draw with Beijing FC on Saturday. 
 
Cerezo Osaka emerged as the new frontrunners in Japan after posting a narrow 1-0 victory against Kawasaki Frontale while matches also took place in Hong Kong, Mongolia, Macau and Chinese Taipei, so join the-AFC.com as we bring you up to speed with the action from across East Asia.