Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Tashkent: One of the brightest stars of Uzbek football, Sardor Rashidov, returned home to join Lokomotiv. The 2012 AFC Champions League semi-finalist spoke to the-AFC.com, discussing his spells in Qatar and UAE, and his ambitions for the season.
On February 4th, 2018, Sardor Rashidov ended a two-and-a-half year stay in the gulf to return to his native Uzbekistan, joining Tashkent based Lokomotiv.
“I achieved a lot at El Jaish; it is a club where I improved as a player and learnt how to score from different positions on the pitch, I scored over 30 goals and helped the club win titles” reflected Rashidov on his time in Qatar.
“Qatar is an incredible country; staff are friendly and extremely tactful to the demands of the team. When I came to Qatar, I was young, but in El Jaish, I grew up as a human and as a player.”
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Jeddah: Often an understudy to Omar Al Somah, Al Ahli’s Mohanad Assiri has finally gotten his chance in the Syrian striker’s absence and looks to seal a starting spot for club and country.
Mohannad Assiri’s Al Ahli career has been intertwined with that of Omar Al Somah since the very beginning. The 31-year-old arrived at the club from Al Shabab in August 2014, a month after the arrival of his Syrian teammate. Since then Assiri has constantly played second fiddle to Al Somah.
When news emerged in late December that Al Somah had suffered a serious ankle injury that would keep him out for three months, Al Ahli fans feared their entire season was in danger of falling apart. After all, Al Somah was the league’s top goal scorer for the past three years and had already netted 10 league goals for them this season.
But in their talisman’s absence, forward stepped Assiri, confident that he had found the perfect opportunity to present his credentials as an equally prolific poacher.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Tehran: Vouria Ghafouri’s strike proved to be enough as Esteghlal beat Persepolis 1-0, to win the Tehran derby and prevent the Iran Pro League leaders from clinching the title on Thursday.
Branko Ivankovic’s side knew a win would mean their 11th title, while Esteghlal, 19 points adrift of the leaders, were determined to impress.
Esteghlal had the majority of possession, but neither side ventured much into the attacking third in the opening minutes of the match at the packed Azadi Stadium.
Both sides took turns exchanging attempts but a minute from the break, Mame Babe Thiam took a shot from inside the box which was blocked by the Persepolis defence but Ghafouri latched on to the stray ball and made no mistake with a left-footed strike for Esteghlal to take the lead.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: Persepolis striker Ali Alipour started his 2018 AFC Champions League campaign in style and his side will rely on him to replicate his league form on the continental stage to fire them to glory.
Persepolis’ run to the 2017 AFC Champions League semi-finals introduced Asian football fans to striker Mehdi Taremi who finished the campaign with seven goals, a tally bettered only by Al-Hilal’s Omar Khrbin and Brazilian duo Rafael Silva and Hulk.
But by January 2018, Taremi had departed for Qatar, joining Al Gharafa on an 18-month deal. With a transfer ban in place on Persepolis, the Tehran-based side had to find a replacement from within as they looked to mount a title defence on the domestic front, as well as a second consecutive continental challenge.
Ali Alipour had started six games in last season’s AFC Champions League, scoring once in the second leg of the quarter-finals against Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli, but coach Branko Ivankovic saw in the 23-year-old the man to replace Taremi in his attack.