Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
As teams step up their preparations for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, we look at those who stood out during the most recent round of international friendlies.
The international break saw as many as 11 fixtures bringing 2019 AFC Asian Cup participating sides head to head, while Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Japan and Korea Republic opted to face opponents from the Americas.
Non-qualified Asian teams including Kuwait, Malaysia, Laos and Indonesia were all in action too. Looking back at 10 days of international football, here are five players who impressed for their respective countries.
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Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Doha: Hassan Al Haydos celebrated his 100th international match in goalscoring fashion as Qatar registered a resounding 3-0 victory over Palestine in a friendly at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha on Tuesday.
The Qatar skipper played an integral part in his team getting off to a roaring start as he provided the assist from which Almoez Ali struck in the third minute.
Akram Afif made it 2-0 in the 19th minute before Al Haydos capped a memorable night for himself by scoring the third in the 29th as Qatar added to the 1-0 win over China PR last Friday.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Suwon: Korea Republic striker Hwang Hee-chan he is ready to learn and become a better player with his new German club Hamburger SV.
Hwang played 85 minutes in Korea Republic's 0-0 draw with Chile in a friendly match at Suwon World Cup Stadium on Tuesday. It was his last match before making his Bundesliga 2 debut with Hamburger SV.
During the 2018 Asian Games Indonesia, the 22-year-old completed a loan move from Austrian side Red Bull Salzburg to Hamburger SV for this season.
"Honestly, I do have some concerns because it's my first time switching teams in Europe," Hwang said. "But I will learn as much as I can for me and my country. I will develop as I want to help the national team."
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Osaka: Several of the Continent's top teams took their next step towards the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 with friendly matches on a busy night of action on Tuesday.
Japan, Islamic Republic of Iran, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates all scored wins while Korea Republic earned a commendable draw against South American giants Chile.
Japan gave Costa Rica the runaround in a 3-0 home victory as Hajime Moriyasu got off to a winning start as head coach of the Blue Samurai.
Sho Sasaki's header was turned into his own goal by Bryan Oviedo after 16 minutes before second-half goals from Takumi Minamino and substitute Junya Ito settled a one-sided friendly in Osaka as four-time champions Japan kicked off their preparations for the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Jakarta: Evan Dimas Darmono's 89th minute goal gave Indonesia a 1-0 win over Mauritius in an international friendly at the Wibawa Mukti Cikarang Stadium in Cikarang, West Java on Tuesday.
Indonesia deserved the late winner, having dominated the match from the first blow of the whistle.
Their domination, however, failed to materialise into goals thanks to some steely Mauritius defending and great goalkeeping by Jean-Louis Kevin.
However, Indonesia's persistence finally paid when Evan swept home a rebound following an effort by substitute Dedik Setiawan.
The win is a morale booster for Indonesia ahead of the AFF Cup in November, where they are in Group B with Thailand, Singapore, Philippines and Timor Leste.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Riffa: China PR may have concluded their two-match playing tour of West Asia without a win but head coach Marcello Lippi said the lessons learnt will be put to good use ahead of the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019.
China PR followed up last Friday's 1-0 defeat to Qatar in Doha with a 0-0 result against Bahrain in Riffa on Monday but Lippi wasn't overly concerned that the tour ended without a win for his team.
"We have to learn from the experience and shortcomings from this trip to West Asia. What is important is that we put these lessons to good use," said Lippi after the match against Bahrain.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Bishkek: Kyrgyz Republic's 2-1 win over Syria will instil confidence ahead of their inaugural AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 campaign, according to head coach Aleksandr Krestinin.
Goals to Kairat Zhyrgalbek uluu and Bekzhan Sagynbaev helped the Central Asians to a memorable win, and one which bodes well for upcoming meetings with Korea Republic, China PR and Philippines in the UAE.
Krestinin, who has overseen the side's successful qualification campaign and a record rise in the FIFA Rankings, says his players are growing in belief.