Central Asia Domestic Wrap: Dordoi’s dream week, Esteghlal up and running

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Central Asia Domestic Wrap: Dordoi’s dream week, Esteghlal up and running

Kuala Lumpur: Dordoi FC completed a hugely successful week in the Kyrgyz Premier League, while Tehran giants Esteghlal FC ended a six-game wait for their first win of the season in Islamic Republic of Iran.

Elsewhere, Tajikistan champions FC Istiklol suffered a first league defeat, while the race to avoid relegation became more perilous for Uzbekistan’s Dinamo Samarkand, who fell to the bottom of the table after yet another defeat.

Join the-AFC.com as we cover all the key results from Istaravshan to Issyk-Kul and beyond.

East Asia Domestic Wrap: New leaders in Japan, thrilling race in K League

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

East Asia Domestic Wrap: New leaders in Japan, thrilling race in K League

Kuala Lumpur: For the first time since mid-April, the J.League has a new team in first place, while the top two in Korea Republic both dropped points to keep things tight in the run-in for the 2019 title.

The majority of the leagues in East Asia did not see action over the weekend, but there was plenty to savour in the Japanese and Korean domestic ties, so join the-AFC.com as we review the latest rounds of fixtures in East Asia.

ACL 2019 Allianz Goal of the Week: Mohammed Al Shalhoub (Al Hilal SFC)

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

ACL 2019 Allianz Goal of the Week: Mohammed Al Shalhoub (Al Hilal SFC)

Kuala Lumpur: The-AFC.com announced on Friday that Al Hilal's Mohammed Al Shalhoub is the winner of this week’s Goal of the Week presented by Allianz for the 2019 AFC Champions League semi-final first legs.

Semi-finals 1st Leg: What They Said

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Semi-finals 1st Leg: What They Said

Kuala Lumpur: The first legs of the semi-finals of the 2019 AFC Champions League concluded this week with plenty of thrills and spills to savour.

Game-changers, sensational strikes and the 12th man as the 2019 semi-finals got under way in exciting style with rollercoaster matches in Qatar and Japan. Here's the post-match reaction from some of the key men involved.

Fabricio: Emotional goal nearly brought me to tears

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Fabricio: Emotional goal nearly brought me to tears

Saitama: Urawa Red Diamonds midfielder Fabricio admitted that his stunning opener in Wednesday’s AFC Champions League semi-final first leg unleashed a torrent of pent-up emotions at Saitama Stadium.

The Brazilian had already given warning that he intended to test Guangzhou Evergrande ‘keeper Zeng Cheng with an early, unsuccessful effort on goal but few in the stadium were ready for what happened on 19 minutes.

From fully 25-yards-out Fabricio received possession, took a touch, and let fly with a vicious, swerving effort that rocketed into the opposite far corner of the goal, leaving Zeng helpless.

The Week In Numbers: Semi-finals, 1st Leg

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

The Week In Numbers: Semi-finals, 1st Leg

Kuala Lumpur: The first legs of the 2019 AFC Champions League semi-finals delivered plenty of action as both Al Hilal and Urawa Red Diamonds secured commanding leads against Al Sadd and Guangzhou Evergrande respectively. 

Bafetimbi Gomis netted twice in Al Hilal's 4-1 victory to move on to nine goals in the competition – level with Al Wahda's Leonardo in the race for the top scorer accolade. For that, and much more, here's the-AFC.com's look at the the week in numbers.

Jahanbakhsh to miss IR Iran ties

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Jahanbakhsh to miss IR Iran ties

Tehran: Alireza Jahanbakhsh will miss Islamic Republic of Iran's next two Asian Qualifiers' matches after the attacker was left out of the squad by head coach Marc Wilmots.

The Brighton & Hove Albion FC attacker was the conspicuous name absent from the squad announced by Wilmots to face Cambodia and Bahrain in Group C of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and AFC Asian Cup China 2023 qualifying.