Maziya secure second Maldives league title

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Maziya secure second Maldives league title

Male: Maziya Sports & Recreation will head into the 2020 AFC Cup with their confidence boosted after lifting their second Dhivehi Premier League title. 

Maziya, who will play in Group E of the 2020 AFC Cup, clinched the title despite falling to a 2-1 defeat to Eagles on Monday.

Marjan Sekulovski's side have 51 points, six more than second-placed Eagles with TC Sports third.

Sekulovski: Maziya played like heroes

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Sekulovski: Maziya played like heroes

Bangalore: Maziya S&R head coach Marjan Sekulovski had the highest praise for his players after a superb performance against JSW Bengaluru FC of India saw the Maldives club seal a place in the 2020 AFC Cup Group Stage.

The Malé-based club were pushed to the limit in the play-off second leg tie at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium on Wednesday, needing penalties to beat Bengaluru 4-3 after the match had ended 4-4 on aggregate after extra time.

Sekulovski attributed Maziya's victory to solid preparation, saying the side had been braced for all eventualities, including penalties.

Play-off - 2nd Leg: JSW Bengaluru FC 3-2 Maziya S&R (Agg 4-4, Maziya win 4-3 on penalties)

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Play-off - 2nd Leg: JSW Bengaluru FC 3-2 Maziya S&R (Agg 4-4, Maziya win 4-3 on penalties)

Bangalore: Maziya S&R of the Maldives advanced to the 2020 AFC Cup group stage after defeating India's JSW Bengaluru FC, winning the Play-off 4-3 on penalties after the two-leg tie ended 4-4 on aggregate on Wednesday. 

The second leg ended 3-2 in favour of Bengaluru, with extra-time needed after 90 minutes finished 2-1 in favour of the Indian side.

Maziya had also won the first leg 2-1 and were denied an outright win by a brilliant Sunil Chhetri free-kick in the 120th minute on Wednesday, with the Maldives side having taken the lead on aggregate through Cornelius Ezekiel in the 102nd minute. Away goals were not in play in extratime.

Maziya join India’s Chennai City FC, Maldives’ TC Sports Club and Bashundhara Kings of Bangladesh in Group E of the 2020 AFC Cup.

#AFCCup2020: Vote for your Standout Player to date

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

#AFCCup2020: Vote for your Standout Player to date

Kuala Lumpur: In two action-packed rounds of fixtures in the 2020 AFC Cup’s ASEAN and West Zones, there has been no shortage of talent on display for Asian football fans to enjoy. 

Early days it may be, but a number of players have already lit up the tournament and the-AFC.com highlights five who have produced the goods in the matches to date.

AFC Cup 2020 Allianz Goal of the Week: Yakob Sayuri (PSM Makassar)

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

AFC Cup 2020 Allianz Goal of the Week: Yakob Sayuri (PSM Makassar)

Kuala Lumpur: The-AFC.com has announced that PSM Makassar's Yakob Sayuri is the winner of this week’s Goal of the Week presented by Allianz for the 2020 AFC Cup after a public vote on the AFC’s official website.

Hodak: PSM Makassar's win over Shan United was well deserved

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Hodak: PSM Makassar's win over Shan United was well deserved

Jakarta: Head coach Bojan Hodak said PSM Makassar's performance meant they deserved their victory in the 2020 AFC Cup Group H encounter against Myanmar’s Shan United on Wednesday.

Giancarlo’s first half goal gave PSM an early lead before strikes from Yakob Sayuri and Ferdinand Sinaga, in between Htet Phyo Wai’s consolation, sealed a 3-1 win for the Indonesian side.

PSM are third in Group H behind leaders Kaya FC-Iloilo of the Philippines and second-placed Singapore’s Tampines Rovers FC, who played out a 0-0 draw in the group’s other fixture on Wednesday.

We lived up to expectations, says Khujand’s Lazarevic

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

We lived up to expectations, says Khujand’s Lazarevic

Dushanbe: FC Khujand head coach Nikola Lazarevic praised his victorious players, saying they achieved what was expected of them by securing their place in the AFC Cup group stage with a 3-1 extra-time play-off win over Kyrgyz Republic’s PFC Neftchi on Wednesday.

Khujand had suffered a 1-0 first leg defeat in Jalal-Abad on February 19, but they levelled the tie with a 1-0 win after 90 minutes at Central Republican Stadium, before scoring two further goals in extra time.

It took more nearly 200 minutes of football for the club from Tajikistan to take the lead in the two-legged tie, but Dilshod Bozorov’s hat-trick proved decisive as Khujand returned to the group sage for the second successive season.