Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Singapore: An Olympian, a refugee and one of the most prolific goal scorers in the history of Singaporean football - few players anywhere have a story with as many twists, turns and triumphs as Aleksandar Durić.
Born in 1970, Durić would famously leave his war-torn homeland to hitchhike his way to competing for Bosnia at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, only for his footballing exploits to evolve into an equally remarkable tale.
After establishing himself as a professional in Australia and China, a former teammate’s recommendation took him to Singapore, sparking a 15-year, 387-goal love-affair which saw Durić make an international debut at the age of 37 and win the 2012 AFF Cup before finally retiring as a beloved figure in 2014.
In conversation with the-AFC.com, Singapore’s Olympian goal-machine looks back of over his extraordinary career, and his plans to guide the next generation of Singaporeans in his role with the ActiveSG academy.
www.the-afc.com/en/more/photo/aleksandar_durić-pic.html
www.the-afc.com/en/more/photo/aleksandar_durić-afp_2_1.html
www.the-afc.com/en/more/photo/aleksandar_durić-afp_1.html
www.the-afc.com/en/more/photo/aleksandar_durić-afp_2.html
www.the-afc.com/en/more/photo/aleksandar_durić-afp.html
www.the-afc.com/en/more/photo/duric_v_oman-afp.html
www.the-afc.com/en/more/photo/singapore-2012_aff_cup-afp.html
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Dushanbe: With the world watching, FC Istiklol came from behind to beat FC Khujand 2-1 in the Tajikistan Super Cup at Central Republican Stadium on Saturday.
Khujand, who finished 15 points adrift of Istiklol last season, threatened to cause an upset when they took the lead through a second-minute strike from on-loan FC Bunyodkor forward Sanjar Rikhsiboev, but two goals in two minutes from Manuchehr Dzahlilov and Muhammadjon Rakhimov settled the tie in the Dushanbe club’s favour.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Johor Bahru: The night of May 8, 2019 will live long in the memories of Johor Darul Ta’zim fans as Syafiq Ahmad’s solitary goal saw the Malaysian champions hand reigning AFC Champions League title holders Kashima Antlers a shock 1-0 defeat.
But while that remarkable win over the defending champions was ultimately in vain as JDT missed out on a place in the knockout rounds of the competition, captain Hariss Harun believes it has given the club from southern Malaysia the belief they can compete with anyone in Asia.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: Over the past few decades, Asian football has produced some iconic national teams. In this series, the-AFC.com looks at some of those generations that shaped the sport in the world’s largest continent.
When Japan defeated China PR to be crowned continental champions in 2004, that was the first AFC Asian Cup final not to feature Saudi Arabia for 24 years. This incredible stat is perhaps the best testament to how dominant the Green Falcons had been in the last part of the 20th century.
Tue, 01 Nov, 2022
Kuala Lumpur: Over the years a number of Asian players have produced the goods at the FIFA World Cup, lighting up arenas around the globe and providing incredible moments that have gone down in the Continent’s footballing folklore.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: In the third part of this series of profiles, we look at five Chinese icons of the AFC Champions League era.
Since the opening edition of the AFC Champions League in 2002-03 to recent times, players from the world's most populous nation have left an indelible mark on the tournament.
While the bulk of our selection is understandably from powerhouse Guangzhou Evergrande - two-time winners and, indeed, the only side from China to lift the title in the AFC Champions League era - we have also included two stand-out forwards who have made their own Continental history away from the southern heavyweights.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: It's that time of the week when the-AFC.com takes you down memory lane as we look back on the greatest goals to have been scored in the history of the AFC Champions League.
After taking in some of the finest acrobatic goals in the first edition of the '5 of the Best' series and the most mesmerising solo goals last week, we turn our attention to volleys and recall some of the greatest strikes the Continental competition has ever witnessed.
To avoid any argument over whether the shot is a volley or half-volley, we have selected five where the ball does not bounce before the players have let fly.