Europe Wrap: Kubo scores stunner; Trio shine for Celtic

Tue, 14 Feb, 2023

Europe Wrap: Kubo scores stunner; Trio shine for Celtic

Kuala Lumpur: Takefusa Kubo netted a brilliant half-volley to open the scoring in Real Sociedad’s 3-2 win over RCD Espanyol on Monday as the San Sebastian side continued their push for a place in next season’s UEFA Champions League.

Another Japanese star, Reo Hatate, came off the bench to bag a double after Daizen Maeda's opener, while Korea Republic’s Oh Hyeon-gyu also netted his first goal for the club as Celtic defeated St Mirren 5-1 to reach the quarter-finals of the Scottish FA Cup on Saturday. 
 
Elsewhere, Kim Min-jae’s Napoli extended their lead further in Italy, Ritsu Doan was key in SC Freiburg’s win in Germany and Naoki Maeda was on target in the Netherlands, so join the-AFC.com as we look back at how the Asian stars performed across Europe over the past week. 

ACL 2022 (West) Round of 16: East Asian Players to Watch

Fri, 10 Feb, 2023

ACL 2022 (West) Round of 16: East Asian Players to Watch

Kuala Lumpur: The AFC Champions League™ 2022 Round of 16 (West) is almost upon us as eight teams from West Asia battle it out to decide who among them will face Japan's Urawa Red Diamonds for the coveted Asian crown.

While the focus has shifted to the West side of the draw, there is no shortage of East Asian representation in the last-16 ties with five of the remaining teams, including the holders Al Hilal SFC, featuring players from the opposite side of the continent. 
 
With the Round of 16 fixtures set to be played in Qatar on February 19 and 20, the-AFC.com profiles the stars from East Asia who could be crucial to their sides' chances in the West Asia leg of the continental showpiece.