In their first match together since Matchday Six of the Asian Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and AFC Asian Cup China 2023 last November, the Samurai Blue were held to a goalless draw by Cameroon on Friday and midfielder Gaku Shibasaki said Japan will have to improve against Côte d'Ivoire.

After the 2020 edition was cancelled due to COVID-19, the-AFC.com launches an AFC Cup Bracket Challenge that features 32 of the greatest goals from the previous decade and ask you, the fans, to vote for your favourities.

Mention Thai football these days and the names of Chanathip Songkrasin and Theerathon Bunmathan are likely to crop up. The pair have excelled in Japan with Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo and Yokohama F. Marinos respectively, with Theerathon being crowned a J1 League champion in 2019.

They are part of a generation of players who have raised the bar for club football in the Southeast Asia country, with their performances in the 2017 AFC Champions League helping Muangthong United claim some notable scalps en route to the Round of 16.

Khalilzadeh got the Islamic Republic of Iran champions on the road to a victory they needed to advance to the Round of 16 with his header as Persepolis scored a 4-0 win in their Matchday Six tie.

Check out all the nominees and the poll result at the bottom of the article.

The 29-year-old JDT and Singapore skipper will be undertaking his new role as a PSB Academy Ambassador and student of Coventry University’s Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Business and Marketing.

Flexible lesson arrangements will allow Harun to juggle his time between football and studies.

Yoshida saw Ambroise Oyongo’s hook his goal-bound effort clear midway through the first half after a fumble by Cameroon goalkeeper Fabrice Ondoa in Japan’s first international outing in 10 months due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Head coach Kim Hak-bum's side looked set for a famous win but were denied in the 89th minute by striker Lee Jeong-hyeop's equaliser.