Abdy Bashimov struck twice in the first half to secure Turkmenistan’s FC Ahal a 2-1 win against FC Alay of Kyrgyz Republic in their 2019 AFC Cup Central Zone Preliminary Stage first leg at the Akhmatbek Suyinbaev Stadium on Wednesday. The two sides had met in the 2018 edition, where...
Ceran admits nerves before crucial spot kick
Despite coolly tucking the ball into the bottom corner, Dragan Ceran has admitted he felt nervous prior to opening the scoring from the spot in Pakhtakor's 2-1 win over the United Arab Emirates’ Al Nasr that saw them progress to the AFC Champions League group stage. After beating Iraq’s Air...
Play-off: Al Rayyan SC 3-1 Saipa
A last-minute double-salvo helped Al Rayyan come from behind to defeat Islamic Republic of Iran’s Saipa 3-1 in a 2019 AFC Champions League play-off match on Tuesday. The home crowd at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium were left stunned as Saipa took an early lead inside four minutes as Mohammadreza Soleiman...
Play-off: Al Gharafa 2-3 Zobahan FC
Islamic Republic of Iran’s Zobahan completed a remarkable comeback to overcome Al Gharafa 3-2 in a 2019 AFC Champions League Play-off tie on Tuesday The Iranian side had to overturn a two-goal deficit in the second half to progress to the group stage. Al Gharafa broke the deadlock halfway through...
Play-off: Al Nasr 1-2 Pakhtakor
Goals from Dragan Ceran and Marat Bikmaev either side of the break helped Pakhtakor overcome UAE’s Al Nasr 2-1 to reach the 2019 AFC Champions League group stage. In a game that saw three penalties awarded for handballs, it was the Uzbeks who emerged victorious at Al Maktoum Stadium in...
Bikmaev comes full circle after goal-scoring return
Tashkent: Marat Bikmaev marked his return to Uzbek club Pakhtakor, having left the club in 2004, with the winning goal in their 2-1 win over Iraq's Air Force Club in the 2019 AFC Champions League Preliminary Stage 2 on Tuesday. In an exciting contest between the runners-up from the Uzbekistan...
Teams learn Qualifiers Round 2 opponents
Eight teams discovered their opponents for the next phase of qualifying following the AFC U-19 Women’s Championship Thailand 2019 Qualifiers Round 2 official draw at AFC House on Wednesday. For the final round of qualifiers, eight teams have been divided into two groups of four teams, with the group winners...
Qualifiers Round 2 draw concluded
12 teams discovered their opponents for the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament 2020 Asian Qualifiers Round 2 following the official draw ceremony at AFC House on Wednesday. Round Two sees 12 teams divided into three groups of four, with the respective group winners advancing to the final round of qualifiers. In...
Breakout stars of the Asian Cup
Star youngsters a feature of 2019 Asian Cup New faces set to be prominent during 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying A look at five of those breakthrough players The 2019 edition of the AFC Asian Cup saw a host of fresh names grab their fair share of the headlines. With...
IR Iran stay top, Qatar’s ranking surges by 38
Islamic Republic of Iran remain as the Continent's highest ranked team while AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 champions Qatar moved up 38 spots in the latest FIFA World Ranking released on Thursday. Qatar improved to 55th, just missing out on their best ever FIFA World Ranking of 53. Japan, whose...