Pericles Chamusca takes over at Al Hilal

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Pericles Chamusca takes over at Al Hilal

Riyadh: Al Faisaly’s Pericles Chamusca has replaced Zoran Mamic as the new Al Hilal first team coach according to a club statement.

The 53-year-old Chamusca took charge of a training session of the Riyadh-based club, who currently sit on top of Group C in the 2019 AFC Champions League, on Saturday.

Mamic's final game for the 2017-18 Saudi Pro League champions was Friday's 5-0 defat against Al Taawoun in the 2019 King’s Cup semi-finals.

Matchday Four: What They Said

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Matchday Four: What They Said

Kuala Lumpur: Big wins, debuts, disappointment and hope rekindled were all in the air after the 2019 AFC Champions League's Matchday Four of the Group Stage concluded this week.

Another exciting round of Continental football across Asia brought with it a series of intriguing ties, the-AFC.com talks to those involved to reflect on their latest matches.

Matchday Four: The Week In Numbers

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Matchday Four: The Week In Numbers

Kuala Lumpur: After another week of dramatic AFC Champions League action, the eight groups have taken shape as the group stage moves towards the business end of proceedings. 

As the 32 sides begin to prepare for the crucial fifth round of fixtures from which some will advance and others may fall by the wayside, join the-AFC.com as we look back on the week in numbers.

Photos: Getty Images

ACL 2019 Allianz Goal of the Week: Sebastian Giovinco (Al Hilal SFC)

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

ACL 2019 Allianz Goal of the Week: Sebastian Giovinco (Al Hilal SFC)

Kuala Lumpur: The-AFC.com has announced that Al Hilal SFC's Sebastian Giovinco is the winner of this week’s Goal of the Week presented by Allianz for Matchday Four of the 2019 AFC Champions League.

ACL2019 MD4 Toyota Player of the Week: Leonardo

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

ACL2019 MD4 Toyota Player of the Week: Leonardo

Kuala Lumpur: Al Wahda's Leonardo has been named the Toyota Player of the Week for Matchday Four of the 2019 AFC Champions League.

Al Wahda's attacking midfielder Leonardo netted four times in his side's sensational 4-3 win at home over Qatar's Al Rayyan in their Group B Matchday Four clash on Monday to earn this week's top accolade.

The Brazilian's quadruple helped the Emirati club come back from 2-0 and then 3-1 deficits, with his match-winner coming in the 89th minute. The former Al Ahli Saudi star showed tremendous precision with his finishing, with his four goals coming from five shots on target.

Leonardo also made two key passes, registered 61 touches and won three fouls as he was awarded a 9.9 rating to lead the Toyota Player of the Week standings.

Countryman Ricardo Lopes (below) likewise shone on Matchday Four with the Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors winger scoring a stunning opener for the Korean side in their 2-1 win over Japan's Urawa Red Diamonds.

Nagaki rues Kashima mistakes

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Nagaki rues Kashima mistakes

Kashima: A downbeat Ryota Nagaki has admitted that Kashima Antlers were far from their best as the AFC Champions League holders slumped to a 1-0 home defeat to Korea Republic’s Gyeongnam FC on Wednesday. 

The defending champions went into the match on top of the Group E standings but suffered their first setback of the campaign as the visitors’ Japanese forward Takahiro Kunimoto tucked home the only goal of the game just after the hour.

The result – Kashima’s first home loss on the Continent since going down by the same scoreline to another team from Korea Republic, Suwon Samsung Bluewings, in the 2018 group stage – saw Gyeongnam close to within two points of the J.League side with two games to play.

Analysis: Pelle produces again as JDT exit nears

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Analysis: Pelle produces again as JDT exit nears

Johor Bahru: Graziano Pelle continued his purple patch of form with another goal as Shandong Luneng jumped to the top of Group E with an important 1-0 win over Johor Darul Ta’zim on Wednesday.

The victory keeps the Chinese side undefeated in this year’s AFC Champions League campaign and on track to reach the knockout stages of the competition for just the third time in nine attempts.