Group C: Saudi Arabia 0-2 Japan

Fri, 11 Oct, 2024

Group C: Saudi Arabia 0-2 Japan

Jeddah: Japan continued their perfect start to the AFC Asian Qualifiers™ - Road to 26 on Thursday as Hajime Moriyasu’s side defeated Saudi Arabia 2-0 at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah to move five points clear at the top of Group C.

Daichi Kamada put the Japanese in front in the 14th minute and substitute Koki Ogawa doubled the advantage with nine minutes remaining as the Samurai Blue continued on their march to the FIFA World Cup 2026 finals.

Japan have a maximum nine points while the Saudis have dropped down to third in the group, trailing Australia on goal difference after Tony Popovic’s side defeat China PR earlier in the day.

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#AsianQualifiers - MD3: Results & Reports

Fri, 11 Oct, 2024

#AsianQualifiers - MD3: Results & Reports

Kuala Lumpur: Japan were the big winners as Matchday Three of the AFC Asian Qualifiers™ - Road to 26 came to a close on Thursday.

A 2-0 win against Saudi Arabia in Jeddah means Japan have opened a five-point gap at the top of the Group C standings.

Korea Republic would also have been satisfied with their night's work as their 2-0 defeat of Jordan in Group B not only avenged their loss to the West Asian side in the semi-finals of the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™ but also kept them on track for an 11th successive appearance at the FIFA World Cup.

The face-off between Group A pacesetters Uzbekistan and Islamic Republic of Iran ended in a goalless draw, with both teams moving to seven points.

With the teams to battle again on Tuesday, stay updated on all the action with the-AFC.com.

Latest update on AFC Asian Qualifiers™ - Road to 26

Thu, 10 Oct, 2024

Latest update on AFC Asian Qualifiers™ - Road to 26

Kuala Lumpur: The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has confirmed today that the AFC Asian Qualifiers™ - Road to 26 Group A match on October 15, 2024 between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Qatar will be played at a neutral venue in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The decision to host the match in a neutral venue was taken after careful consideration of the prevailing security situation and in consultation with FIFA and the relevant stakeholders.

#U20WAC and #U17WAC Technical Reports now available!

Mon, 30 Sep, 2024

#U20WAC and #U17WAC Technical Reports now available!

Kuala Lumpur: The joint technical report for the AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup™ Uzbekistan 2024 and the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup™ Indonesia 2024 is now available on the-AFC.com.

Held only two months apart, the two sister competitions are comprehensively analysed in this publication by the AFC Technical Study Group (TSG), offering valuable insights into Asia's brightest talents.

Matricciani applauds Melbourne’s adaptability; Dimzon, Jafari seek improvement

Thu, 10 Oct, 2024

Matricciani applauds Melbourne’s adaptability; Dimzon, Jafari seek improvement

Pathum Thani: Australia’s Melbourne City FC produced another impressive performance to defeat College of Asian Scholars of Thailand 3-0 in their Group B tie on Wednesday to punch their ticket to the AFC Women’s Champions League™ 2024/25 quarter-finals.

With Philippines’ Kaya FC-Iloilo holding Bam Khatoon of Islamic Republic of Iran to a 1-1 draw, Melbourne City were assured of their knockout stage spot with a match to spare while the remaining three teams will go into Saturday’s final set of fixtures still very much in the running to advance.  

Chang plans to strengthen Wuhan Jiangda; Ganai proud of Sabah’s fight

Thu, 10 Oct, 2024

Chang plans to strengthen Wuhan Jiangda; Ganai proud of Sabah’s fight

Wuhan: Head coach Chang Weiwei was not too disheartened despite seeing his Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC fall to a 2-0 defeat to Hyundai Steel Red Angels Women’s FC in their final AFC Women's Champions League™ 2024/25 Group A match on Wednesday.

The defeat left Wuhan Jiangda in third spot, needing favourable results from Group B and C on Saturday if Chang's side are to advance to the knockout stage as one of the two best third-placed finishers.

Kusunose wants Urawa to stay perfect; Hong Pham happy with Ho Chi Minh’s run

Thu, 10 Oct, 2024

Kusunose wants Urawa to stay perfect; Hong Pham happy with Ho Chi Minh’s run

Ho Chi Minh City: Head coach Naoki Kusunose was pleased with Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies for showing perseverance to defeat Taichung Blue Whale Women’s Football Team 2-0 in their AFC Women’s Champions League™ 2024/25 Group C tie on Wednesday.

Despite dominating possession, Urawa faced a resilient Taichung defence that held firm for the first 55 minutes until Yuzuho Shiokoshi broke the deadlock from the penalty spot with Ririka Tanno netting the second to ensure the three points and a place in the quarter-finals.