ASEAN & East Domestic Wrap: Melbourne City back on track with win over Jets

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

ASEAN & East Domestic Wrap: Melbourne City back on track with win over Jets

Kuala Lumpur: After a setback last week against Perth Glory, Erick Mombaerts' side eased past Newcastle Jets to keep the heat on front-runners Sydney FC.

Elsewhere in ASEAN, Madura United's chase for second place took a bump in the road after a heavy defeat to Persija Jakarta, while 2020 AFC Cup contenders PSM Makassar were also in action.

Meanwhile in East Asia, while many of the domestic championships have ended or had a break in fixtures, there was a full set of weekend matches from the Guam league to review.

Korean men and women stay in contention with wins

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Korean men and women stay in contention with wins

Busan: Korea Republic’s men’s and women’s national teams both claimed important victories to keep their respective 2019 EAFF E-1 Football Championship campaigns alive in Busan on Sunday.

Paulo Bento’s charges claimed a 1-0 win over China PR in the men’s competition, while the Korea Republic women's team ended a nine-month winless streak with a convincing 3-0 victory over Chinese Taipei, with both tournaments now set to be decided by Korea Republic-Japan clashes in midweek.

Japan go top as Myanmar also surge

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Japan go top as Myanmar also surge

Kuala Lumpur: Japan became Asia’s top ranked team at 28 after Islamic Republic of Iran dropped six spots, in the latest FIFA World Ranking which was released on Thursday.

IR Iran dropped to second at 33 following their recent defeat to Iraq in the Asian Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and AFC Asian Cup China 2023.

Japan - who are unbeaten in the Asian Qualifiers - maintained their World Ranking at 28.

Minamino interest underlines Japan ace’s star quality

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Minamino interest underlines Japan ace’s star quality

Kuala Lumpur: Since making his debut for Cerezo Osaka in Japan’s top-flight at the tender age of 16, Takumi Minamino has rarely looked back.

Armed with an unerring eye for goal, and pace aplenty, Minamino has subsequently gone on to shine just as brightly and earn global recognition at Austrian outfit Red Bull Salzburg – form which has helped reinforce the belief that he remains one of Europe’s hottest properties.

With reports linking him to Liverpool currently making the back pages in England, Minamino looks to be on the verge of writing yet another glorious chapter in what is already proving to be a distinctly impressive career.

Double delight for Japan

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Double delight for Japan

Busan: Japan’s men’s and women’s national teams enjoyed a goal-laden day in Busan, both producing convincing wins as the EAFF E-1 Football Championship continued on Saturday.

A Mana Iwabuchi hat-trick helped the Nadeshiko to a 3-0 win over China PR in the women’s tournament, while Hajime Moriyasu’s men’s side proved far too strong for Hong Kong in a 5-0 success.

Australia remain as Asia's best

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Australia remain as Asia's best

Kuala Lumpur: Australia moved up one spot up to seventh to retain their position as Asia's best team, following the latest FIFA Women's Ranking released on Friday. 

Australia beat Chile twice in November in international friendlies to climb up to seventh, while Japan - unchanged at 10th place - became Asia's second ranked team after DPR Korea dropped two spots to 11th.

Park: Vietnam on the rise but challenges remain 

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Park: Vietnam on the rise but challenges remain 

Hanoi: Park Hang-seo has cautioned Vietnam that making the leap from ASEAN dominance to challenging Asia's best won't be easy and it is a step that can only be achieved with long term plans.

Park has steered Vietnam to several successes since being appointed head coach in 2017, with the U23 team finishing runners-up in the 2018 AFC U23 Championship and the senior side winning the regional AFF Cup the same year, achieved after a 10-year wait.

That was followed by a quarter-final appearance in the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 and on Tuesday, Vietnam ended a 60-year wait for the regional SEA Games gold.