West Asia Wrap: King's Cup boost for Al Hilal; Shabab Al Ahli held

Mon, 24 Apr, 2023

West Asia Wrap: King's Cup boost for Al Hilal; Shabab Al Ahli held

Doha: Al Hilal SFC will head to the first leg of the AFC Champions League™ 2022 final with a spring in their step after advancing to the Saudi King's Cup decider on Sunday.

Leaders Shabab Al Ahli, meanwhile, were held in the UAE Pro League but hold a three-point lead with just two matches remaining.
 
There were also matches in Qatar, Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman and Syria so join the-AFC.com as we take a look at how the action unfolded across West Asia. 

ASEAN Wrap: Buriram secure title; Thanh Hoa take charge

Mon, 24 Apr, 2023

ASEAN Wrap: Buriram secure title; Thanh Hoa take charge

Kuala Lumpur: Buriram United sealed their eighth league title in Thailand on Saturday after they defeated Chiangrai United 2-1 while the Thunder Castle also confirmed a place in next month’s Thai FA Cup final as they overcame Port FC earlier in the week. 

In Australia, newly crowned Premiers Melbourne City defeated last season’s champions Western United 3-1 as hat-trick hero Jamie Maclaren broke the A-League goalscoring record while defending champions Johor Darul Ta’zim edged PDRM 1-0 to make it nine wins out of nine matches in Malaysia. 
 
Thanh Hoa are the new leaders in Vietnam as defending champions Hanoi FC suffered their first defeat of the season while Tampines Rovers closed in on frontrunners Albirex Niigata (S) in Singapore. There were also matches in the Philippines and Cambodia, so join the-AFC.com as we review the week’s action from across ASEAN. 

East Asia Wrap: Marinos down Vissel; Ulsan drop points

Mon, 24 Apr, 2023

East Asia Wrap: Marinos down Vissel; Ulsan drop points

Hong Kong: After a shaky start to their title defence, reigning champions Yokohama F. Marinos have cut the distance to Vissel Kobe at the top of the table to two points after Kevin Muscat’s side posted a thrilling 3-2 come-from-behind victory over the league leaders in Japan on Saturday.

Having begun their campaign with six wins on the bounce, defending champions Ulsan Hyundai dropped points for the second straight outing in Korea Republic when they were held by Pohang Steelers in the East Coast Derby while FC Seoul piled further pressure on Hong Myung-bo’s side by moving three points behind them in second place. 

Shanghai Port and Shanghai Shenhua both posted back-to-back wins in their fledgling league campaigns in China PR while there were also matches taking place in Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei and Macau, so join the-AFC.com as we review the week’s action from across East Asia.

#ACL2022: Al Hilal SFC - Road to the Final

Mon, 24 Apr, 2023

#ACL2022: Al Hilal SFC - Road to the Final

Riyadh: With the hotly anticipated AFC Champions League™ 2022 final fast approaching, the-AFC.com relives how Al Hilal SFC made it to their second final in a row, winning seven of their nine games.

After reaching the 2017 AFC Champions League final, Al Hilal struggled to deliver the same levels of performances the following year, finishing bottom of their group, but having conquered the continent in 2021, they came back to defend their title with renewed vigour, winning their first four games of the group, and sealing a place in the next round with two games to spare.

#ACL2022: Urawa Red Diamonds – Road to the Final

Mon, 24 Apr, 2023

#ACL2022: Urawa Red Diamonds – Road to the Final

Kuala Lumpur: Japan’s Urawa Red Diamonds are eyeing their third continental title when they take on four-time winners Al Hilal SFC in the final of the AFC Champions League™ 2022, and getting the better of the defending champions would make the J1 League team the joint-second most successful club in the competition. 

Urawa are looking to match Korea Republic’s Pohang Steelers by winning their third Asian crown and their road to the final of the 2022 edition has been eventful, as they have overcame a number of strong opponents in the East to earn the right to challenge the Saudi Arabian giants and reigning champions of Asia, Al Hilal.
 
The 2007 and 2017 AFC Champions League winners booked their place in the 2022 tournament by winning the Emperor’s Cup in 2021, and have played nine matches and scored an incredible 31 goals so far to reach the title decider. Join the-AFC.com as we relive Urawa’s memorable journey to the AFC Champions League 2022 final.

Al Hilal SFC vs Urawa Red Diamonds: A modern-day rivalry

Fri, 21 Apr, 2023

Al Hilal SFC vs Urawa Red Diamonds: A modern-day rivalry

Kuala Lumpur: The final of the AFC Champions League 2022™ sees Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal SFC take on Japan’s Urawa Red Diamonds as the sides meet in the showpiece event for the third time in six editions of the tournament. 

In a competition that is split into East and West until the final, it’s unprecedented to see teams from different sides of the continent face off so regularly. But with holders Al Hilal and Urawa continuing to shine in Asia’s most prestigious club competition, the pair have established a rivalry for the ages.