Qatar starlet Afif helps himself to a piece of Asian Cup history
By Abdelaziz Abuhamar
January 13 – Qatar’s wonder kid Akram Afif has become the first player to make four assists in a single match in the history of AFC Asian Cup.
Qatar seek win over North Korea to set up Saudi showdown
January 12 – Qatar coach Felix Sanchez has emphasised his team’s style will not be altered when they play DPR Korea in their Group E clash. The Qatari will seek three points and qualification after Saudi Arabia gained top spot with a 2-0 win over Lebanon on Saturday.
Profitable Chelsea hike payments to company directors
By David Owen
January 12 – Chelsea’s landmark 2017-18 financial year appears to have seen big increases in remuneration paid to the club’s directors.
Grp D: Yemen march on. Iraqis through to last 16
Iraq 3 Yemen 0
January 12 – The Yemen story continued tonight. The newcomers from the war torn country who have become every neutral’s favourite team played Iraq, the old boys who wrote the script when it comes to manufacturing football teams out of war zones. The Iraqis won 2-0, the Yemenis won more friends, respect and global attention.
Iran brush Vietnam aside to top group with Azmoun double strike
January 12 – Sardar Azmoun (pictured) sealed Iran’s qualification for the knockout stags with two goals either side of the half in a 2-0 victory that saw them out-muscle Vietnam to and Sardar become the tournament’s top scorer.
Grp B: Aussies confident; Palestine need a win
January 12 – Australian coach Graham Arnold (pictured) expects his Socceroos to put Syria to the sword in their final group B game after Australia’s commanding 3-0 win over Palestine on Friday. In 2017 Australia eliminated Syria in a dramatic play-off 3-2 on aggregate from the World Cup finals in Russia.
Asian Cup favourites Iran expect pacy Vietnam to come at them with no fear
January 12 – Carlos Queiroz and Iran will not take Vietnam lightly as the sky-high favourites in the Asian Cup 2019 seek three points and qualification from Group D.
Wu Lei double for China sends them through to last 16
China 2 Philippines 0
January 11 – Two goals superbly taken goals from sparkling Chinese starlet Wu Lei were ultimately the difference between China, who have qualified for the round of 16 with a group game to go, and a battling Philippines who have yet to win a point or score a goal in their debut Asian Cup finals.
Quick fire Aussies dispel doubts with a win over Palestine to get their title defensive rolling
Australia 3 Palestine 0
January 11 – Defending champions Australia bounced back from their 1-0 defeat against Jordan to breeze past Palestine 3-0 and climb to second spot in Group B on three points.
Stange fired as Syria become second nation to change manager mid-tournament
January 11 – Bernd Stange became the second national team manager to be sacked at the Asian Cup 2019 last night after his Syrian team went down 2-0 to Jordan, who are rapidly becoming the surprise package of the tournament.
beIN Sport ups pressure on Serie A and demands Super Cup is moved from Saudi Arabia
By Paul Nicholson
January 11- Qatar-based pan-regional broadcaster beIN Sport has written a second letter to Serie A urging new CEO Luigi De Siervo to change the venue of the Italian Super Cup final that will be played in Jeddah next week to a location outside of Saudi Arabia.
Ronaldo rape case: Las Vegas police request DNA sample
January 11 – Las Vegas police investigating a rape allegation against Cristiano Ronaldo have reportedly sent a warrant to authorities in Italy, where the Portuguese star plays for Juventus, requesting a DNA sample.
Jose’s back. Mourinho to bring ‘charisma’ to beIN Sport football coverage
January 11 – Forget legal letters, World Trade Organisation petitions, and multi-stakeholder pressure groups, beIN Sport may have at last found the killer application to end beoutQ’s rampant piracy of their TV output – Jose Mourinho.
UEFA crackdown: Muller, Woeber and Lovren handed match bans
January 11 – UEFA have banned Bayern Munich star Thomas Muller for two matches after he was sent off against Ajax in the final game of the Champions League group stage against Ajax.
LaLiga to broadcast second tier globally on Youttube
January 11 – Matches from the second tier of Spanish football are to be broadcast on Youtube with English commentary in a bid to boost the division’s international appeal.