AFC Champions League Elite 2024/25

With the continental showpiece taking a breather, the-AFC.com invites you - the fans - to sit back and appreciate some of the strikes that have lit up stadiums across the continent.

Kicking off the series, which will see the winning strike advancing to the semi-finals, is the best five goals from Matchday One of the West Zone. Don’t forget to cast your vote at the bottom of the article.

Not only on the field but also in our Match Predictor game as users are predicting results correctly left, right and centre.

With that said, we now hone in on the most accurate picks and biggest results so far. Were you on the right side?

But before we get going, there are only two League Stage matchdays to go but our Match Predictor game is still free for all new users to join. Sign up at: https://www.the-afc.com/en/club/afc_champions_league_elite/predictor.html and put your football knowledge on display!

The Tehran-based outfit have lost three of their last four league matches to sit five points behind leaders Tractor after 13 games of the current campaign. Assistants Karim Bagheri and Seyyed Jalal Hosseini will take charge on an interim basis.

So, let’s start by taking a quick look back to reflect on which players have been racking up the points on your Fantasy team and the ones you should have in your squad going forward.

But before we get to all that, don’t forget you can still take part at https://www.the-afc.com/en/club/afc_champions_league_elite/fantasy.html. It’s free, it’s fun and it’s for all Asian football fans!

With the AFC's club competitions transitioning to a new format from the 2024/25 season, it was only fitting that the inaugural winners brought the curtains down on the AFC Champions League by waltzing their way to a second title.

The 54-year-old takes over as the long-term replacement for Harry Kewell, who led the club to the final of the AFC Champions League™ 2023/24 but left in July due to a run of poor domestic form.

After six Matchdays of the current League Stage, the ACL Elite has witnessed an average attendance of 11,966, which exceeds official figures from the 2022 and 2023/24 editions of its predecessor, the AFC Champions League™. This mark is 17% higher than the average of 10,194 from the first six Matchdays in the 2023/24 Group Stage.

Hasebe, who was named the J.League’s Manager of the Year for 2023, takes over after Oniki ended a hugely successful eight-year spell with the club at the conclusion of the 2024 J1 League season to join Kashima Antlers ahead of next season.

With the tournament to only resume in February, the-AFC.com listens to what was said by the teams after another pulsating round of matches.

There is, however, still everything to play for in the East Zone following the conclusion of Matchday Six, with some teams on the verge on confirming their spots.

Join the-AFC.com as we take a look at some interesting facts and figures from the matches that thrilled the continent this past week.

The Ulsan head coach knew, given their fragility after a poor run on the continental stage, the enormity of the task his side faced after Shenhua took the lead through Andre Luis in the 23rd minute.