After long isolation, Steel Roses welcome Wang’s return

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

After long isolation, Steel Roses welcome Wang’s return

Suzhou: Chinese women’s national team head coach Jia Xiuquan has paid tribute to returning star Wang Shuang, after the 2018 AFC Women’s Player of the Year joined her teammates for the first time since being separated as a result of the coronavirus.

The former Paris Saint-Germain spent more than two months in isolation in Wuhan, forcing her to miss China PR’s Tokyo Olympic Qualifiers in Australia and continue her training within the confines of her apartment building.

With Wuhan’s lockdown finally at an end, and after a week or quarantine within the team camp, Wang and fellow Wuhan locals Lv Yueyun and Yao Wei finally took part in a training session with their international teammates on Thursday.

www.the-afc.com/en/more/photo/china_womens_team_1.html

www.the-afc.com/en/more/photo/china_womens_team_3.html

5 of the Best: Chips, lobs and scoops

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

5 of the Best: Chips, lobs and scoops

Kuala Lumpur: It's that time of the week when the-AFC.com looks back at some of the finest goals the AFC Champions League has witnessed during its rich history, with the latest '5 of the Best' taking in chips, lobs and scoops. 

Following on from the opening four editions – acrobatic goals, solo goals, volleys and long-range stunners – this week's compilation sees beautifully executed finishes from Saudi giants Al Ittihad and Al Hilal as well as entrants from FC Seoul, Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Guangzhou Evergrande, so sit back and enjoy!

Asia's World Cup Heroes: Expert verdict and results!

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Asia's World Cup Heroes: Expert verdict and results!

Kuala Lumpur: Two weeks ago, the-AFC.com profiled five Asian FIFA World Cup heroes from over the years and asked the fans to vote for their favourite. Now, it's the turn of our experts panel. 

Given the choice of Sami Al Jaber, Alireza Beiranvand, Tim Cahill, Keisuke Honda and Park Ji-sung, the fans' vote was won by Iranian goalkeeper Beiranvand, with Japan's Honda and Saudi legend Al Jaber coming in second and third place respectively – a decision that goes towards 25 percent of the overall result.

Skocic aiming to get Team Melli back on track

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Skocic aiming to get Team Melli back on track

Tehran: IR Iran have been a mainstay at the FIFA World Cup in recent years. With Carlos Queiroz at the helm, Team Melli graced Brazil 2014 and were the first Asian side to secure a berth at Russia 2018. And while they failed to go beyond the group stage in the latter tournament, they had the consolation of impressive performances there against Portugal, Spain and Morocco.

After Queiroz’s departure, the country’s football federation turned to Marc Wilmots, but after some disappointing results in the current round of Asian Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and AFC Asian Cup China 2023, the Belgian was replaced.

The new man at the helm is Croatian Dragan Skocic, who spoke with FIFA.com about his appointment and the task ahead.

50 years on: Moeini, Jabbari recall Taj Tehran’s 1970 Asian Club Championship triumph

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

50 years on: Moeini, Jabbari recall Taj Tehran’s 1970 Asian Club Championship triumph

Tehran: A burgeoning continental competition, a full stadium in Tehran, and an era-defining victory for Iranian football - The events of April 10, 1970, and Taj Tehran’s Asian Club Championship Final win over Israel’s Hapoel Tel Aviv, remain burned in the memories of those who participated.

In only the third staging of the continental tournament, Taj - known as FC Esteghlal from 1979 - became the first Iranian winners, and the first club from outside Israel to lift trophy, winning 2-1 after extra-time in front of an estimated 35,000 fans at the original Amjadieh Stadium.

Asia’s greatest national teams: Kuwait (1980s)

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Asia’s greatest national teams: Kuwait (1980s)

Kuala Lumpur: Over the past few decades, Asian football has produced some iconic national teams. Having looked at Saudi Arabia’s majestic men's side from the 1980s and 1990s and China PR's women's team of the 1990s, next on this series is Kuwait’s mighty 1980s team.

Kuwait currently sit 156th in the latest FIFA Ranking, only 14 AFC nations are ranked lower, but things haven’t always been this way for the West Asian nation. Indeed, there was a time where Kuwait were Asian champions, competed at the FIFA World Cup and reached the quarter-finals of the Olympic Games.

The Story Behind: Club Badges

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

The Story Behind: Club Badges

Kuala Lumpur: With much of the Continental game on hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the-AFC.com continues our series, The Story Behind, where we delve deeper to reveal some of Asian football's fascinating flavour.

After featuring club nicknames in the first edition, we next look at six different sides from across the breadth of the Asian Football Confederation and explore the meaning behind their unique club crests.