Australia's Central Coast Mariners were crowned champions of the 2023/24 AFC Cup after an 84th minute goal from Alou Kuol saw them edge out Lebanon's Al Ahed in Sunday night's final at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Muscat, Oman. Mark Jackson's Mariners achieved a significant milestone in their AFC Cup debut, becoming only the second Australian club to clinch an AFC competition victory, following in the footsteps of the Western Sydney Wanderers who won the AFC Champions League in their tournament debut a decade earlier. Sunday's final not only marked the culmination of this season's AFC C...
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A heroic performance from goalkeeper Leo Kokubo helped Japan U-23 to clinch their second AFC U-23 Asian Cup title after the young Samurai Blue had edged out Uzbekistan U-23 1-0 in Friday night's final at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium. Kokubo had saved a last-minute penalty from Umarali Rakhmonaliev after substitute Fuki Yamada had given Japan the lead early into injury time to ensure that Japan would clinch this year's title under dramatic circumstances. Japan faced an early scare in the eighth minute when a moment of hesitation between Hiroki Sekine and Kota Takai allowed Alisher Odilov to set...
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Iraq U-23 secured their sixth qualification for the Olympic Games after a thrilling 2-1 victory over Indonesia U-23 in the 2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup third-place playoff on Thursday night. Ali Jasim's decisive goal in extra time sealed Iraq's comeback, earning them the final automatic qualifying slot for Paris 2024. In a tense match at the Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium, Indonesia took the lead in the 19th minute through Ivar Jenner's strike from long range. However, Iraq responded quickly, with Zaid Tahseen equalizing from close range after Nihad Mohammed's assist from a corner. Throughout the gam...
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Japan secured their place in the 2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup final with a commanding 2-0 victory over Iraq at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium on Monday, thanks to first-half goals from Mao Hosoya and Ryotaro Araki. The win also guaranteed Japan's participation in this year's Paris Olympics. In a dominant display, Go Oiwa’s side showcased their quality, with captain Joel Fujita leading the charge. Hosoya broke the deadlock in the 28th minute, skillfully controlling Fujita’s pass before slotting home. Araki doubled the lead 14 minutes later, capitalizing on another exquisite through ball from Fujita. Japan...
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Uzbekistan secured their place in the AFC U-23 Asian Cup final for the third time in four editions after defeating Indonesia 2-0 in their Qatar 2024 semi-final at the Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium on Monday. Despite the Uzbeks' superior performance, Indonesia managed to keep up with their more illustrious opponents throughout most of the match, with three controversial decisions from the referee ending up costing the Garuda Muda victory. The win not only propelled Uzbekistan to the final but also guaranteed their spot in the Olympics in a dominant campaign that saw them score fourteen goals and...
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Australia's Central Coast Mariners secured their place in the final of the 2023/24 AFC Cup by delivering a commanding 3-0 victory over FK Abdysh-Ata Kant from Kyrgyzstan in the second leg of the Inter-Zone final on Wednesday. The match at Central Coast Stadium in Gosford saw a goalless first half, with both teams vying for control. However, it was 18-year old youth prospect Miguel Di Pizio who broke the deadlock for the hosts in the 78th minute, setting the stage for a flurry of goals. Mikael Doka extended the lead before Di Pizio struck again, sealing a convincing 4-1 aggregate win for the Ma...
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Indonesia U-23's journey in the AFC U-23 Asian Cup has been a testament to their remarkable progress since their disappointment in 2015. Nine years after their hopes were dashed in their final qualification match by South Korea U-23, Indonesia clinched a historic semi-final spot with a thrilling 11-10 victory on penalties against the same opponents at the 2023 AFC U-23 Asian Cup. The decisive moment came when Pratama Arhan, ironically plying his trade in the South Korean top-flight with Suwon FC, calmly converted his spot-kick in a marathon shootout, securing victory for the tournament debutan...
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Japan U-23 secured their spot in the semi-finals of the 2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup with a hard-fought 4-2 victory over tournament hosts Qatar U-23, propelled by extra-time goals from Mao Hosoya and Kotaro Uchino at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium on Thursday. The breakthrough came 11 minutes into extra time when Hosoya skillfully slipped the ball past substitute goalkeeper Ali Korayem, breaking Qatar's resilient defense. Uchino then sealed the deal with a goal seven minutes before the final whistle, propelling Go Oiwa’s team one step closer to both the tournament trophy and appearing in the 2024 Olympic...
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Yokohama F. Marinos secured their historic berth in the AFC Champions League final, prevailing over Ulsan HD in a nail-biting encounter that culminated in a dramatic penalty shootout victory, ending with a 5-4 scoreline in Yokohama's favor. The match, held at Nissan Stadium, ended in a thrilling 3-3 draw on aggregate after the second leg of the semi-final on Wednesday. Ulsan had won the first leg 1-0 last week, before Yokohama returned the favor by beating the South Koreans 3-2. The first half was a rollercoaster of action, with Asahi Uenaka netting twice and Anderson Lopes adding another goal...
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Despite losing 2-1 to Saudi Arabian giants Al Hilal in the second leg of their semi-final at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh on Tuesday, Al Ain of the United Arab Emirates secured their spot in the 2023/24 AFC Champions League final with a 5-4 aggregate score. This marks their return to the final for the first time since 2016. Their journey to the final was marked by a thrilling first-leg performance, where a Soufiane Rahimi hat-trick propelled them to a 4-2 victory, halting Al Hilal's impressive 34-match winning streak. The anticipation for the showdown in the Saudi capital was palpable, with inj...
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