Latest news with #AFCChampionsLeagueTwo
Rudaw Net
a day ago
- Sport
- Rudaw Net
Duhok crowned Iraq Cup champions
Also in Iraq Iraq launches security operation after drone attacks UK condemns drone attacks in Kurdistan Region Iraq launches probe into Wasit mall fire that killed 63 Iraq holds nationwide mourning after mall blaze kills 61 A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Duhok SC won the Iraq Cup on Friday, beating out another Kurdish team, Zakho SC. This is the first time a Kurdish club has won the title since the cup's establishment in 1948. The historic achievement will allow Duhok SC to play in AFC Champions League Two. Both teams are also now eligible for the Iraq Super League. Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani congratulated both clubs for their achievements, adding that the Kurdistan Region is proud of them. Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani also congratulated the teams. The match was goalless, leading to a penalty shootout that ended 5-3. Erbil Sports Club was the first Kurdish club to make it to the final of the Iraq Cup in 2023 but failed to win the title following a dramatic defeat by al-Quwa al-Jawiya, one of Iraq's oldest football teams.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Sport
- Time of India
Manolo returns to FC Goa after official India exit
Manolo Marquez had a dual role last season, taking charge of the national team and continuing with his job as coach of FC Goa Panaji: Manolo Marquez has signed a new one-year contract with FC Goa after officially ending his stint as coach of the national football team. The Spanish coach had a dual role last season, taking charge of the national team and continuing with his job as coach of Goa. The experiment didn't fetch expected results as India won just one of the eight matches, so a month into his contract as a full-time coach, he decided it was best to part ways, mutually. Early this month, the AIFF executive committee considered the request and decided to terminate the two-year contract, without any financial implication. 'Once freed from his contract, it was only a mere formality for him to return to FC Goa,' a senior official told TOI on Thursday. AIFF has also terminated the contracts of Benito Montalvo (asst head coach), Jose Barroso (S&C coach) and Marc Gamon (goalkeeping coach). Two of the coaches – Benito and Marc – will continue with Manolo at Goa. Manolo achieved impressive results for his clubs – Hyderabad and Goa – winning trophies over five seasons in the country, but he will not look back at his national team stint with any fondness. India won one game out of eight that they played, a friendly against lower-ranked Maldives. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Villas For Sale in Dubai Might Surprise You Dubai villas | search ads Get Deals His side also failed to score in the last two games, against Thailand (0-1) and Hong Kong (0-2), both of which they lost. For Goa, Manolo was a big hit, guiding the team to a second-placed finish in the ISL last season, and topping it with the Super Cup triumph. The win helped qualify for Asian competitions. Goa are preparing for the crucial AFC Champions League Two clash against Oman champions Al Seeb. Should the hosts cross the preliminary hurdle at Fatorda on Aug 13, they will move to the group stage where Cristiano Ronaldo 's Al-Nassr FC will be one of the participants. Manolo's return to Goa will hardly raise eyebrows, given that the experienced Spanish coach had made his admiration for the club known. Goa, too, were ready to welcome him with open arms. 'I think only a fool would turn down the opportunity to have Manolo as coach,' Goa CEO Ravi Puskur said during a Townhall With TOI last week. 'Given that he has expressed satisfaction at his time in Goa, we would obviously look to renew that partnership. 'From a pure numerical value, he is the most successful coach Goa have had. He built a very good group last season, perhaps the most united I've seen in the last ten years at the club. A large part of that is due to the coach's mentality.'
Straits Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
Lion City Sailors score coup with two-time J1 League top scorer Anderson Lopes
Anderson Lopes, Lion City Sailors' new signing from Yokohama F. Marinos, at the Lion City Sailors training centre on July 15. SINGAPORE – The Lion City Sailors' unprecedented run to the AFC Champions League Two final in the 2024/25 campaign made clubs in the continent sit up and take notice. And ahead of the new season, Singapore's only privatised football club are not resting on their laurels. The Singapore Premier League and Singapore Cup champions on July 17 confirmed that they have signed Brazilian forward Anderson Lopes from five-time J1 League champions Yokohama F. Marinos on a three-year contract. While the Sailors did not disclose the transfer fee, The Straits Times understands that it is lower than the club's record fee of €1.8 million (S$2.69 million) that it paid to sign Brazilian midfielder Diego Lopes from Portuguese Primeira Liga side Rio Ave in 2021, and the reported €1.5 million fee to Dutch Eredivisie side Utrecht for attacking midfielder Bart Ramselaar. The signing of Lopes, 31, from the Marinos is a coup for the Sailors and Singapore football. Lopes had rejected interest from Brazilian giants Botafogo and clubs from Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates, ST understands. Lopes who primarily plays as a centre forward but can also operate as a second striker or as a winger, told ST that the ambitious project outlined by the Sailors' management, along with Singapore being an ideal place for him and his family played a key role in his decision. Lopes, who has two children – a five-year-old son and one-year-old daughter – with his wife said via a translator: 'When the proposal came, of course, I didn't know too much about Singapore, but I started to ask around about the country and then I realised it's a good place for the family. After speaking to the club as well (about their project), I decided this was the right move. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. 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He was then loaned out to South Korean team FC Seoul in 2018, before returning to Japanese football the following year after completing a permanent move to Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo. In 2021, he signed for Chinese club Wuhan FC but returned to Japan a year later to sign for Marinos. Since joining Marinos in February 2022, Lopes had established himself as one of the best players in the Japanese top tier. In his first season, he scored 11 goals in the club's league winning season. In the following two seasons, Lopes would win consecutive top scorer awards in the J1League. In 2023, he was joint-top in the scoring charts with Japan international Yuya Osako with 22 goals before he netted 24 goals the following season to finish as top scorer. I n the current season, Lopes and his club have struggled amid some managerial changes. Marinos are bottom of the 20-team league, with the Brazilian finding the net only twice in 20 matches. But it is his prowess on the continental stage that Sailors will hope to reap rewards. In the 2023–24 AFC Champions League season, Lopes was top scorer for Marinos – six goals in 11 matches – as the Japanese side reached the final, where they were defeated by Al Ain from the United Arab Emirates. In the inaugural season of the 2024-25 AFC Champions League Elite, Lopes finished joint-second in the scoring charts with nine goals in 10 matches, sharing the spot with Al-Ahli winger Riyad Mahrez and Gwangju FC's Jasir Asani. Saudi Arabian captain Salem Al-Dawsari claimed the Golden Boot with 10 goals, but Lopes outscored several high-profile names including Al-Nassr's Portuguese icon Cristiano Ronaldo (eight goals), Al-Hilal's Aleksandar Mitrovic, and Al-Ahli duo Ivan Toney and Roberto Firmino, who each scored six. Lopes arrives in Singapore with a clear ambition. 'I came here to score goals and win titles. I want to grow with the club, and make history together and help the club to do even better and better,' said the Brazilian. The signing of Anderson Lopes, 31, from the Marinos is a coup for the Sailors and Singapore football. ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG Beyond that, Lopes vowed to put in relentless hard work. He credited this work ethic to his upbringing in the favela of Recife, Brazil, and the values instilled by his family. Football helped Lopes to purchase a flat for his family and build a future he once only dreamt of. That same drive and determination still remains. 'What they (fans) can expect from me is that I will give everything on the pitch, whether it is in training, the games, and I will score the goals to make everyone happy,' he added. Sailors head coach Aleksandar Rankovic, who recently inked a two-year contract extension with the club, will now have added ammunition in his front line, which already includes 2023 SPL Player of the Year Maxime Lestienne – who is contracted to the club till December – German forward Lennart Thy, Ramselaar and Lions hitman Shawal Anuar. Rankovic said: 'To reach 100 goals in a league as competitive as the J1 speaks volumes about his quality. But it's not just about his goalscoring. Anderson is excellent at holding the ball up and just as capable of creating chances for his teammates. I'm confident he'll be a tremendous asset to the team this season.' The Sailors have also bolstered their squad since they made a historic run to the ACL 2 final, where they lost 2-1 to Emirati side Sharjah FC in May. The Sailors are the first team from Singapore to feature in a continental final. National team stalwart Safuwan Baharudin has joined on a season-long loan from Selangor, they have added Croat custodian Ivan Susak from Croatian top-tier side Slaven Belupo, and beefed up the midfield with former German Under-20 player Tsiy-William Ndenge. The Sailors who are competing on four fronts again – the SPL, Singapore Cup, Asean Club Championship and ACL2 – and will kick off their season with the Singapore Community Shield match against BG Tampines Rovers on Aug 16.
Time of India
08-07-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
FC Goa settle for Javier Siverio as new striking option
Javier Siverio scored seven goals in 26 appearances in the ISL for Jamshedpur FC last season Panaji: FC Goa have identified Spanish striker Javier Siverio as their fourth foreign player for the season and are expected to complete the signing later this week. Among the six foreign players, only Dejan Drazic has an existing contract for next season. Having retained Borja Herrera and Iker Guarrotxena from last season's campaign, Goa will now add Siverio to the list. Two other new foreign players are expected to be signed, as replacements for captain Odei Onainida, who will return to Spain, and defensive midfielder Carl McHugh, whose two-year contract ended last month. 'Siverio may seem like an underwhelming signing, given that Goa have brought in tried and tested strikers in the past, but his (four-year) experience in Indian football cannot be discounted,' a senior official told TOI. 'He is also a team man, someone who will add to the team's strengths. It's important to have a strong and united dressing room, since only four of the six foreign players are allowed to take the field.' Siverio scored seven goals in 26 appearances for Jamshedpur FC last season. His India sojourn started with Hyderabad in 2021, where he was handpicked by coach Manolo Marquez after their time with Las Palmas B in 2016-17. The Spanish striker won the ISL trophy with Hyderabad, before moving to East Bengal for a short stint, winning the Super Cup, and then Jamshedpur. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 20 Pieces of Clothing Older Women should Avoid Learn More Undo Siverio will be a direct replacement for Armando Sadiku, who mutually parted ways with Goa after being knocked out of the Indian Super League (ISL). The Albanian striker took the league by storm with a fiery start, netting eight goals in his first seven consecutive games, the best start for any Goa player since inception. However, with playing time restricted, Sadiku struggled to find the back of the net in the latter part of the season, scoring only two goals in his next 17 matches. The Albanian striker started just six of his last 15 matches in the ISL, with coach Manolo opting for Guarrotxena. Goa are now preparing for the Preliminary Round of the 2025–26 AFC Champions League Two clash against Oman's Al Seeb FC on August 13. The winner of the single-leg clash at Fatorda will qualify for AFC Champions League Two, the second-tier club competition in Asian football, while a loss for the hosts will see them dropped into the AFC Challenge League, a rung below. Goa qualified for the continental championships after winning the Super Cup. This will be their second appearance on the Asian stage after the debut at the AFC Champions League in 2021. Winners of the AFC Cup in 2022, Al Seeb are the big guns of Oman football, having won the Oman Professional League four times in the last six years.
Observer
26-06-2025
- Sport
- Observer
Seeb prepare for AFC Champions League Two qualifiers
MUSCAT: As part of their preparations for a critical continental showdown, Seeb Club, reinforced its squad ahead of the 2025/2026 AFC Champions League Two qualifiers. The Omantel League defending champions are set to face Sporting Clube de Goa (SCG) of India on August 13, at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi. The winner will progress to the group stage of the AFC Champions League Two, while the losing side will participate in the AFC Challenge League. In a strategic move to bolster their squad, the Sultanate of Oman's football powerhouse announced a set of key signings and contract renewals aimed at maintaining team strength and continuity. Marwan bin Tuaib al Siyabi returned to the club after a season with Al Nasr. The club also secured a one-year contract with Oman national team midfielder Abdullah Fawaz, adding depth and international experience to the squad. Additionally, Musab al Shaqsi, the talented striker from Bahla Club signed with Seeb for the upcoming season. In a show of trust in their seasoned core, the club renewed contracts with several key experienced players including Mohammed al Musallami, Ali al Busaidy, Tamim al Balushi, Ahmed al Rawahi, Zaher al Aghbari, and Motasim al Wahaibi. Seeb will face Sporting Clube de Goa (SCG) of India on August 13 These moves will reflect Seeb's ambitions not only on the domestic stage but also in continental competitions as the club will aim to make a strong impact in its AFC campaign following their quarterfinal finish in the 2024/2025 AFC Challenge League where they bowed out to Kuwait's Al Arabi SC. Seeb club had achieved a historic and biggest moments in the Sultanate of Oman's sports history as they won 2022 AFC Cup following their win against Kuala Lumpur City 3-0. The squad reinforcements come on the heels of an exceptional 2024–2025 domestic season. Seeb's senior football team captured both the Omantel League title and the prestigious OFA Cup, cementing their position as a dominant force in Omani football. The club recently hosted an honorary event recognising all its athletes and teams for their outstanding performances during the season.
