West Asia Domestic Wrap: Al Nassr march on, Sharjah drop points

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

West Asia Domestic Wrap: Al Nassr march on, Sharjah drop points

Riyadh: Defending champions Al Nassr continued their dominance in the Saudi Pro League as they stretched their lead at the top of the table.

UAE Pro League defending champions Sharjah also remained on top of the standings despite dropping two points in the title race while the Qatar Stars League resumed after the recently concluded FIFA Club World Cup 2019.

Al Salmiya and Al Kuwait SC are setting the pace in Kuwait while Al Seeb sit top of the Oman League. Join the-AFC.com as take a look at the domestic action in West Asia.

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East & ASEAN Domestic Wrap: Iniesta leads Kobe into Emperor's Cup Final

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

East & ASEAN Domestic Wrap: Iniesta leads Kobe into Emperor's Cup Final

Kuala Lumpur: Vissel Kobe, who number superstars Andres Iniesta, Lukas Podolski and David Villa in the line-up, are within a game of reaching the 2020 AFC Champions League after victory in the Emperor's Cup semi-final.

Elsewhere in East Asia, there was action in the Hong Kong Premier League as the league leaders enjoyed a big win and there was an intriguing battle between second and third.

Meanwhile in ASEAN, the Indonesian league came to a close with an exciting race for second place decided, while there was a full set of fixtures in Australia's A-League to enjoy.

South Asia Domestic Wrap: East Bengal, Goa top standings

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

South Asia Domestic Wrap: East Bengal, Goa top standings

New Delhi: East Bengal and Minerva Punjab are tied at the top of the I-League but their lead is fragile with just two points separating the top six teams in the standings.

Goa, meanwhile, top the Indian Super League but defending champions Bengaluru are just two points behind. Join the-AFC.com as we take a look at last week's action.

Central Asia Domestic Wrap: Sepahan’s high five, Tajik League set to expand

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Central Asia Domestic Wrap: Sepahan’s high five, Tajik League set to expand

Bishkek: Sepahan are on track to finish the year leading the pack in Islamic Republic of Iran, after they and Persepolis both leapfrogged Esteghlal on a busy Thursday night of league fixtures.

While the Iranian action was on the pitch, news from elsewhere in the region took place on the sidelines, with news of an expanded Tajik League and two significant coaching appointments among the week’s highlights.

Join the-AFC.com for all the key news and results from Bandar Abbas to Bukhara.

VAR set for historic full debut at Thailand 2020

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

VAR set for historic full debut at Thailand 2020

Kuala Lumpur: Asian football will reach another historic milestone with the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system making its full tournament debut at the upcoming AFC U23 Championship Thailand 2020, which is scheduled to take place across three cities – Bangkok, Buriram and Songkhla – between January 8 to 26, 2020.

Having made its successful debut from the quarter-final stage of the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 in January, the AFC U23 Championship Thailand 2020 will be the first AFC competition to implement the VAR system in all 32 matches.

Abdixolikov bags hat-trick in warm-up win 

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Abdixolikov bags hat-trick in warm-up win 

Sharjah: Bobir Abdixolikov put his hand up as a player to watch in next month’s AFC U23 Championship Thailand 2020, scoring a hat-trick as Uzbekistan beat Iraq 4-2 in a pre-tournament friendly at the Al Hamriya Sports Club Stadium on Sunday.

The FC Nasaf forward found the net twice in an action-packed first half, before completing his treble five minutes after the break to help Ljubinko Drulvic’s side seal victory.

FC Pakhtakor midfielder Jasurbek Yakhshiboev was also on the scoresheet for Uzbekistan, while Mohammed Ridha and Mohammed Dawood scored Iraq’s goals.

7 stars made at the U23 Championship

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

7 stars made at the U23 Championship

Kuala Lumpur: The AFC U23 Championship Thailand 2020 is now less than three weeks away and there’s little doubt that some of Asia’s brightest stars of the future will be on display in Southeast Asia as they aim to be crowned Continental champions and book their country’s ticket to the Tokyo Olympics. 

The three previous editions of the tournament have featured names who have developed into key performers for club and country, earned moves to bigger leagues and become household names across Asia and beyond.

Ahead of what is sure to be another excellent U-23 competition, the-AFC.com has picked out seven players who have graced the tournament and gone on to develop into modern-day superstars of Asian football.