#ACLElite - MD6 (East): In numbers

Thu, 11 Dec, 2025

#ACLElite - MD6 (East): In numbers

Kuala Lumpur: Matchday Six (East) of the AFC Champions League Elite™ 2025/26 concluded this past week with the race for Round of 16 places remaining tight.

After an exciting matchday, the-AFC.com picks out several facts and figures that caught the eye from the East Zone.

Resilient Melbourne make Vidmar proud; Seoul’s Kim disappointed

Thu, 11 Dec, 2025

Resilient Melbourne make Vidmar proud; Seoul’s Kim disappointed

Seoul: Head coach Aurelio Vidmar was proud of his side’s resilience after substitute Takeshi Kanamori’s late strike earned Melbourne City FC a 1-1 draw with FC Seoul in their AFC Champions League Elite 2025/26™ tie on Wednesday.

The point sees the Australian side sitting fourth in the East Zone standings with two matches remaining in the race for the eight Round of 16 spots.

Araki delivers as Sanfrecce give Skibbe winning farewell

Thu, 11 Dec, 2025

Araki delivers as Sanfrecce give Skibbe winning farewell

Hiroshima: Hayato Araki was pleased to play his part to give outgoing head coach Michael Skibbe a winning farewell after the defender scored the solitary goal in Sanfrecce Hiroshima’s 1-0 win against Shanghai Shenhua FC in their AFC Champions League Elite 2025/26™ match on Tuesday.

Araki rose highest in the 78th minute to thump home a corner from Naoto Araki to give Sanfrecce the third win of their first continental top tier campaign since 2019.

Buriram’s Jackson, Gangwon’s Chung satisfied with stalemate

Wed, 10 Dec, 2025

Buriram’s Jackson, Gangwon’s Chung satisfied with stalemate

Buriram: Mark Jackson and Chung Kyung-ho came away relatively pleased with the 2-2 draw between Buriram United and Gangwon FC in the AFC Champions League Elite™ 2025/26 on Tuesday.

An action-packed encounter at Buriram Stadium saw the Thai side come from behind to lead 2-1 before Kim Dae-won’s 74th penalty meant a share of the points, with Jackson praising the response shown by his charges.

Chen stands tall for Port; JDT’s Munoz positive despite dropped points

Wed, 10 Dec, 2025

Chen stands tall for Port; JDT’s Munoz positive despite dropped points

Iskandar Puteri: Goalkeeper Chen Wei cut a delighted figure after his heroics earned Shanghai Port FC a goalless draw with Johor Darul Ta’zim in their AFC Champions League Elite™ 2025/26 tie on Tuesday.

Chen Wei made an outstanding 11 saves with the home side registering 48 shots, including 12 on target to earn the Chinese Super League side only the second point of their campaign.

Departing Yoshida proud of Vissel

Wed, 10 Dec, 2025

Departing Yoshida proud of Vissel

Kobe: It was a bittersweet ending for Takayuki Yoshida after his time at Vissel Kobe came to a close following a 2-2 draw with Chengdu Rongcheng FC in their AFC Champions League Elite™ 2025/26 tie on Tuesday.

After over four years with Vissel, Yoshida will take over at Shimizu S-Pulse for the 2026 season but the 48-year-old tactician is leaving the club top of the East Zone standings with 13 points, as well as with two league titles and one cup success.