Europe Wrap: Hasegawa sends City into semis; Son returns in style

Tue, 13 Feb, 2024

Europe Wrap: Hasegawa sends City into semis; Son returns in style

Kuala Lumpur: Yui Hasegawa’s stunning strike from 25 yards proved decisive as Manchester City edged Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 on Wednesday to make it to the semi-finals of the Women’s League Cup while Saori Takarada also opened her account for Leicester City in England. 

Son Heung-min bounced back from the disappointment of exiting the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™ to Jordan in the semi-finals by coming off the bench to assist Brennan Johnson's 96th-minute winner against Brighton & Hove Albion as Tottenham moved into fourth place in the Premier League. 
 
Australian duo Tete Yengi and Aiden O'Neill were on the scoresheet in Scotland and Belgium respectively, while Japan's Koki Ogawa netted for the second week running as NEC Nijmegen reached the KNVB Cup semi-finals in the Netherlands, so join the-AFC.com as we find out how the Asian stars performed in Europe over the past week. 

R16 - 1st leg: 5 things to look out for

Mon, 12 Feb, 2024

R16 - 1st leg: 5 things to look out for

Kuala Lumpur: The AFC Champions League™ 2023/24 returns with the first leg of the Round of 16 fixtures to be played between Tuesday and Thursday. 

Defending champions Urawa Red Diamonds were eliminated in the group stage but six other former winners remain in the quest for continental glory with clubs from eight nations involved in the knockout rounds. 
 
As Asia’s most prestigious club competition returns, the-AFC.com has selected five things to look out for.

Preview - R16: Shandong Taishan FC (CHN) v Kawasaki Frontale (JPN)

Tue, 13 Feb, 2024

Preview - R16: Shandong Taishan FC (CHN) v Kawasaki Frontale (JPN)

Ji'nan: Shandong Taishan FC will be aiming to maximise home ground advantage when they play Kawasaki Frontale in the AFC Champions League™ 2023/24 Round of 16 on Tuesday.

Both teams will head into the tie at the Jinan Olympic Sports Centre Stadium straight from pre-season but that will not hold either side back. 

ASEAN Zonal S-Finals: Players to Watch

Sat, 10 Feb, 2024

ASEAN Zonal S-Finals: Players to Watch

Kuala Lumpur: The AFC Cup™ 2023/24 returns as four teams get set to battle it out in the ASEAN Zone with the aim of being crowned regional champions and continuing their quest for the title. 

Australian side Macarthur FC will host Malaysia's Sabah FC in the first of the single-legged ties on Tuesday, before reigning A-League champions Central Coast Mariners take on Cambodia's Phnom Penh Crown later that same day. The winners of the two matches will face off in the ASEAN Zonal final for the right to play India's Odisha FC in the Inter-Zone semi-finals.
 
As the continental competition gets set to resume, the-AFC.com has selected four players to look out for in the upcoming matches.

The Final in Numbers

Sun, 11 Feb, 2024

The Final in Numbers

Doha: After an action-packed month that saw 51 matches producing 132 goals, the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™ came to a thrilling conclusion on Saturday with hosts Qatar emerging as the champions and defending their continental crown. 

Akram Afif was Qatar’s hero as his hat-trick of penalties defeated the tournament’s surprise package Jordan 3-1 and won the Maroons their second AFC Asian Cup title in front of more than 86,000 fans at Lusail Stadium.
 
As the dust begins to settle on another glorious campaign for Qatar, the-AFC.com reviews a memorable final by taking a closer look at some of the key facts and stats that caught the eye.