Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: AFC President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa has congratulated Singapore’s Home United for clinching their inaugural AFC Cup ASEAN Zonal crown after defeating Philippines’ Ceres Negros 3-1 on aggregate over two legs after Wednesday’s ASEAN Zonal Final.
Shaikh Salman said: “On behalf of the AFC football family, I would like to congratulate Home United from Singapore for displaying immense quality and resilience to be crowned champions of the ASEAN Zone.
“Central Champions Altyn Asyr from Turkmenistan, JSW Bengaluru FC from India in the South Zone and DPR Korea’s 4.25 SC who won the East Zone, must also be praised for their consistency throughout the campaign.
“The 2018 season of the AFC Cup has already witnessed two new attendance records in the Group Stage, which is a testament to the improved format, one which provides our passionate fans with more excitement and captivating action.
“I am confident that the next phase will engage with more fans and produce more memorable moments as we look to crown the Inter-Zone and West Zone winners as well as the ultimate champions in October.”
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Singapore: Home United started Singapore’s National Day celebrations a day early by being crowned the 2018 AFC Cup ASEAN Zonal Champions after an historic 2-0 win over Filipino champions Ceres Negros in the second leg of their final on Wednesday.
Locked at 1-1 from the first leg last week, second half goals from Shakir Hamzah and Song Ui-young sealed the 3-1 aggregate win for the Singaporean side, earning them a spot in the Inter-Zone Semi-finals where they will face DPR Korea powerhouse 4.25 SC.
It was the visitors, who needed to win to defend their ASEAN Zonal title, who started the brighter of the two teams with Carli de Murga heading just wide from Stephan Schrock’s free-kick in the fourth minute.
Schrock attempted to turn provider again just over five minutes later with a cute outside-of-the-foot cross for Patrick Reichelt, but the winger saw his effort well saved by Home United custodian Rudy Khairullah.
Ceres’ Spanish defender Súper came agonisingly close to opening the scoring midway through the first half, but saw his diving header smash off the crossbar as the visitors pushed hard to find the opening goal they needed.
There was another smash late in the half when Reichelt and Rudy collided when challenging for the ball in the box, a collision that saw the Ceres winger stretchered from the field and play stopped for a lengthy period.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: After over 55,000 votes from Asia’s football fans on the-AFC.com, Persija Jakarta's Rezaldi Hehanusa has emerged the winner of the 2018 AFC Cup Goal of the Group Stage.
The 22-year-old lifted the roof off at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium on Matchday Two when he became the first Indonesian to score for Persija at the 2018 AFC Cup in a 4-1 victory over Singapore's Tampines Rovers. His sensational strike was a popular one as he secured 50% of the vote to win the poll.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Jakarta: The 2018 AFC Cup ASEAN Zonal Semi-final second leg match between Indonesia's Persija Jakarta and Home United of Singapore on Tuesday set a new match attendance record of 62,198 fans.
Persija, however, were unable to overcome their visitors, losing 6-3 on aggregate but The Kemayoran Tigers fans exited this year’s competition boasting an incredible record in AFC Cup history.
The Gelora Bung Karno stadium first made headlines when Persija welcomed Tampines Rovers in their Group H campaign in February, attracting a crowd of 49,056, before hosting Malaysia’s Johor Darul Ta’zim on Matchday Five which broke previous AFC Cup records with an attendance of 60,157.