Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Kuala Lumpur: Akram Afif has been named the Toyota Player of the Week after the forward played a starring role in Al Sadd’s 2-2 draw with Esteghlal in the second leg of the 2018 AFC Champions League quarter-final on Monday as the Qatari side advanced 5-3 on aggregate.
Kuala Lumpur: Akram Afif has been named the Toyota Player of the Week after the forward played a starring role in Al Sadd’s 2-2 draw with Esteghlal in the second leg of the AFC Champions League quarter-final on Monday as the Qatari side advanced 5-3 on aggregate.
With Al Sadd leading 3-1 from the first leg, Afif burst into the box to open the scoring with a low, angled drive before, with his side 2-1 down on the night, the 21-year-old was brought down for a penalty in injury time as the hosts salvaged a 2-2 draw to advance.
Afif had five attempts on goal, posted a passing accuracy of 86 percent and created three chances for his teammates as he scored an 8.0 rating to help Al Sadd return to the semi-finals for the first time since winning the competition in 2011.
Second in this week’s ranking is Kashima Antlers midfielder Serginho (pictured below), who scored for the second successive game against Tianjin Quanjian as the Japanese side claimed a 3-0 second-leg win to progress to their first ever AFC Champions League semi-final 5-0 on aggregate.

www.the-afc.com/en/more/photo/choi_bo-kyung.html

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Tehran: Persepolis midfielder Bashar Resan credited winning mentality for his side’s 3-1 win over Al Duhail in the second leg of the 2018 AFC Champions League semi-final on Monday.
The Iranian side came from 2-0 down on aggregate to record a 3-2 victory, with goals from Jalal Hosseini, and Godwin Mensha either side of a Sultan Al Brake own goal helping them turn the tie around at Azadi Stadium.
Coming into the home second leg with a slim one-goal disadvantage, Persepolis found themselves another goal down after 33 minutes as Al Duhail captain Karim Boudiaf capitalised on a poor defensive clearance.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Suwon: Suwon Samsung Bluewings reached their first AFC Champions League semi-final since 2011 after they defeated Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 4-2 on penalties following a 3-0 defeat on Wednesday that had levelled the scores on aggregate, after their own 3-0 win in the first leg last month.
Goalkeeper Shin Hwa-yong was Suwon's hero as he saved three penalties - the first in second half stoppage time which forced the tie into extra time and two in the resultant shootout.
In need of goals, the visitors did much of the early attacking at Suwon World Cup Stadium and took the lead on the night inside the 11th minute.
Suwon failed to deal with Ricardo Lopes’ ball into the area and fellow Brazilian Adriano latched onto the loose ball to poke past goalkeeper Shin.
Although heartened by the opener, Jeonbuk were unable to add a second, nor carve out another clear-cut opportunity, before half-time despite the lion’s share of attacking play and possession.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Doha: Al Sadd coach Jesualdo Ferreira didn't hide his relief after a 2-2 draw at home with Esteghlal in the second leg of the 2018 AFC Champions League quarter-finals on Monday sent his team to the last four of the competition.
The 2011 winners advanced to the next stage on the back of a 5-3 aggregate win, having defeated the Iranian team 3-1 in the first leg in Tehran.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Macau: Kashima Antlers coach Go Oiwa credited his team’s poise as the key to their 3-0 second-leg win over Tianjin Quanjian in the 2018 AFC Champions League quarter-finals on Tuesday.
Goals from Serginho, Hiroki Abe, and Shoma Doi wrapped up a 5-0 aggregate victory for the Japanese side over their Chinese opponents, delivering them to a first ever semi-final in Asia’s premier club competition.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Macau: Tianjin Quanjian midfielder Zhang Xiuwei rued his side’s missed opportunities after the Chinese Super League team were eliminated from the 2018 AFC Champions League following a 3-0 defeat to Japan’s Kashima Antlers in the second leg of the quarter-finals on Tuesday.
After suffering a 2-0 loss in the first leg in Japan three weeks ago, Tianjin went into the return meeting at Macau Olympic Stadium needing to win by at least two goals to have any chance of remaining in the competition.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Macau: Kashima Antlers booked their place in the semi-finals of the 2018 AFC Champions League in style on Tuesday, cruising to a 3-0 win away against Tianjin Quanjian of China.
That wrapped up a 5-0 aggregate scoreline for the Japanese side, who ensured their smooth progression with an efficient display all over the pitch.