Absentees cost Philippines the win, says Dooley

Thu, 09 Jun, 2022

Absentees cost Philippines the win, says Dooley

Ulaanbaatar: Philippines head coach Thomas Dooley bemoaned the absence of several key members of his side in the 0-0 draw with Yemen in their opening AFC Asian Cup 2023™ Qualifiers Final Round on Wednesday.

Carli de Murga, Diego Bardanca, John-Patrick Strauss, Raphael Obermair, Kevin Ingreso and Michael Kempter were all ruled out ahead of the competition, while VFL Bochum star Gerrit Holtman only joins the side in time for the Group B Matchday Two tie against hosts Mongolia.

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Qualifiers Final Round - Group B: Philippines 0-0 Yemen

Wed, 08 Jun, 2022

Qualifiers Final Round - Group B: Philippines 0-0 Yemen

Ulaanbaatar: Philippines and Yemen shared the points in their AFC Asian Cup 2023™ Qualifiers Final Round Group B opener after a 0-0 draw at MFF Stadium on Wednesday.

A hard-fought game with few clear-cut opportunities meant that the familiar foes began their campaigns with a point apiece and will next face Mongolia and Palestine respectively in Saturday's Matchday Two ties.

Qualifiers Final Round Group B: Palestine 1-0 Mongolia

Wed, 08 Jun, 2022

Qualifiers Final Round Group B: Palestine 1-0 Mongolia

Ulaanbaatar: A late Oday Dabbagh penalty saw Palestine secure a narrow 1-0 win over Mongolia in their opening AFC Asian Cup 2023™ Qualifiers Final Round match at the MFF Stadium on Wednesday.

Following a largely uneventful first 45 minutes, Palestine sprung into life after the interval and missed several chances of note early in the second half before substitute Dabbagh ultimately wrapped up a hard-earned three points from the spot seven minutes from time.

The match marked both sides’ first competitive game of the year with Palestine last turning out at the FIFA Arab Cup™ at the end of 2021 and hosts Mongolia – who did play a pair of friendlies against Laos and Bangladesh in March – taking to the pitch a year and a day after stunning Kyrgyz Republic 1-0 in the previous round of qualifiers.

Hwang expects a more clinical Korea Republic in knockout stage

Thu, 09 Jun, 2022

Hwang expects a more clinical Korea Republic in knockout stage

Tashkent: Korea Republic secured their AFC U23 Asian Cup™ Uzbekistan 2022 quarter-final spot after edging Thailand 1-0 at the Pakhtakor Stadium on Wednesday but head coach Hwang Sun-hong believes there is plenty of room for improvement. 

Go Jae-hyeon’s 35th-minute strike sealed the win for the defending champions against a resolute Thailand, who were also in the running for a knockout stage berth, and Hwang congratulated his players for achieving their target with Korea Republic topping Group C on seven points. 

Hai Long eyes more playing time after helping Vietnam into quarter-finals

Thu, 09 Jun, 2022

Hai Long eyes more playing time after helping Vietnam into quarter-finals

Tashkent: Nguyen Hai Long was trusted by head coach Gong Oh-kyun to start Vietnam’s final AFC U23 Asian Cup™ Uzbekistan 2022  Group C tie against Malaysia on Wednesday and the midfielder repaid the faith in him by producing a player of the match performance.

Although Hai Long did not get on the scoresheet, he played a pivotal role in Vietnam’s 2-0 win which saw the 2018 runners-up finishing second behind Korea Republic to advance to the quarter-finals at Thailand’s expense.

Boosted by his performance, the 21-year-old is now hoping for more playing time as Vietnam look to extend their Uzbekistan 2022 adventure, with the Group D winners their opponents in the quarter-finals.