Playoff - 1st leg: Brunei Darussalam 3-0 Macau

Fri, 06 Sep, 2024

Playoff - 1st leg: Brunei Darussalam 3-0 Macau

Bandar Seri Begawan: Brunei Darussalam defeated Macau 3-0 in the first leg of their AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ playoff tie at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium on Thursday.

The win ensures Brunei head into the return leg at the Macau Olympic Stadium on Tuesday well placed to advance to the final round of the qualifiers.

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Playoff - 1st Leg: Sri Lanka 0-0 Cambodia

Thu, 05 Sep, 2024

Playoff - 1st Leg: Sri Lanka 0-0 Cambodia

Colombo: Cambodia displayed resilience to hold Sri Lanka to a 0-0 draw in their AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ playoff tie on Thursday.

The stalemate is a boost for the Southeast Asian side who will host the return leg in Phnom Penh on Tuesday.

Playoff - 1st Leg: Timor Leste 4-1 Mongolia

Thu, 05 Sep, 2024

Playoff - 1st Leg: Timor Leste 4-1 Mongolia

Bali: Timor-Leste defeated Mongolia 4-1 in the first leg of their AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ playoff tie on Thursday.

The two sides will meet again at the MFF Stadium in Ulaanbaatar on Tuesday, with the victors to advance to the final round of the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 qualifiers.

UAE fightback thrills Bento

Sat, 07 Sep, 2024

UAE fightback thrills Bento

Al Rayyan: Paulo Bento heaped praise on his United Arab Emirates players after they showed tremendous fighting spirit to claw their way back from a losing position to stun Qatar 3-1 in their AFC Asian Qualifiers™ – Road to 26 Group A clash on Thursday.

Trailing to Ibrahim Al Hassan’s goal, Bento made a tactical switch in the second half which paved the way for Harib Abdalla, Khaled Aldhanhani and Ali Saleh to score as UAE walked away with the three points.

Bento said he opted for his players to focus more on the central areas instead of the flanks and it led to UAE finding more joy in the attacking areas.

IR Iran’s Ghalenoei, Kyrgyz Republic’s Lisitsyn seek improvements

Fri, 06 Sep, 2024

IR Iran’s Ghalenoei, Kyrgyz Republic’s Lisitsyn seek improvements

Fuladshahr: Islamic Republic of Iran made a winning start to their AFC Asian Qualifiers™ – Road to 26 Group A campaign but head coach Amir Ghalenoei feels more is needed if his side are to make a fourth successive FIFA World Cup appearance.

Inter Milan striker Mehdi Taremi scored the only goal in a 1-0 win over Kyrgyz Republic but profligacy became a problem in the game, an area in which Ghalenoei is seeking to improve his side when they face a confident United Arab Emirates on Tuesday.

Moriyasu's experience pays off for Japan

Fri, 06 Sep, 2024

Moriyasu's experience pays off for Japan

Saitama: Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu said he had learned the lessons of previous struggles in the early matches of the final round in Asia’s FIFA World Cup qualifying to lead the Samurai Blue to a resounding 7-0 victory over China PR at Saitama Stadium on Thursday.

Moriyasu was at the helm four years ago when Japan lost to Oman in their first game of the third round of the preliminaries for Qatar 2022, but there were to be no such issues as the hosts launched their AFC Asian Qualifiers™ - Road to 26 campaign in emphatic fashion.

Not even the presence of Ivanko Brankovic, who oversaw Oman’s shock win, could insulate the Chinese from a rampant Japan as Wataru Endo, Kaoru Mitoma, Takumi Minamino – who scored twice – Junya Ito, Daizen Maeda and Takefusa Kubo all found the net.

Shin proud of Indonesia, Mancini laments missed chances

Fri, 06 Sep, 2024

Shin proud of Indonesia, Mancini laments missed chances

Jeddah: Head coach Shin Tae-yong applauded his players after a resilient Indonesia held Saudi Arabia to a 1-1 draw in their AFC Asian Qualifiers™ – Road to 26 Group C tie at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium on Thursday.

Indonesia, who are making their first appearance in the third round of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers, took the lead through Ragnar Oratmangoen at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah but were denied victory by Musab Al Juwayr’s equaliser.

We are happy to have given joy to the Palestinian fans, says Daboub

Fri, 06 Sep, 2024

We are happy to have given joy to the Palestinian fans, says Daboub

Seoul: Palestine celebrated their first ever appearance in the AFC Asian Qualifiers™ with a goalless draw with Korea Republic, with head coach Makram Daboub expressing happiness for giving joy to their fans.

Korea Republic, seeking an 11th consecutive appearance at the FIFA World Cup, were expected to cruise in their Group B opener but were left frustrated by a resolute Palestine side with goalkeeper Rami Hamada particularly outstanding. 

Bahrain’s Talajic hails players for sticking to game plan in Australia win

Fri, 06 Sep, 2024

Bahrain’s Talajic hails players for sticking to game plan in Australia win

Gold Coast: Dragan Talajic did not hold back on his praise after Bahrain stunned Australia 1-0 in their AFC Asian Qualifiers™ - Road to 26 Group C opener on Thursday. 

Bahrain's first ever win against Australia was sealed when Harry Souttar deflected Abdulla Alkhalasi’s cross from the left into his own net just before the 90-minute mark at Robina Stadium as the West Asian side kicked off their campaign for an inaugural appearance at the FIFA World Cup with a bang.

Group F: DPR Korea 9-0 Costa Rica

Fri, 06 Sep, 2024

Group F: DPR Korea 9-0 Costa Rica

Cali: DPR Korea continued their outstanding record of having progressed from the group stage at every edition of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in which they’ve featured as they put on a dynamic football clinic in a 9-0 dismantling of Costa Rica on Thursday.

On the evidence through two matchdays they’re also going to be right in the mix to add to the two titles they won at Russia 2006 and Papua New Guinea 2016; few teams at Colombia 2024 possess the potent mix of technique, movement, intensity and ruthless finishing that the Asian champions do.

Group E: Japan 4-1 Ghana

Fri, 06 Sep, 2024

Group E: Japan 4-1 Ghana

Bogota: Japan advanced to the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Colombia 2024 Round of 16 after a 4-1 victory over Ghana on Thursday.

The victory meant Japan, champions in 2018 and runners-up two years ago, booked their knockouts stage spot with a match to spare.