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 [June 26, 2023]
By Michael Church
HONG KONG (Reuters) - Talking points from the week in Asian
football:
ELBER'S GOAL KEEPS YOKOHAMA TOP IN JAPAN
Brazilian striker Elber scored the only goal of the game as
defending champions Yokohama F Marinos beat Sanfrecce Hiroshima 1-0
to retain top spot in Japan on Saturday.
Elber's goal, which came five minutes before the interval, moved
Kevin Muscat's side onto 39 points, three clear of second-placed
Vissel Kobe, who have played a game fewer.
Kobe kept pace with the leaders with a 3-0 win over Avispa Fukuoka
on Sunday, with strike duo Yuya Osako and Yoshinori Muto both on
target.
ULSAN DOWN DAEGU TO MAIN COMMANDING K LEAGUE ADVANTAGE
Ulsan Hyundai continued their march toward the South Korean title on
Saturday with a 3-1 win over Daegu FC to maintain their 13-point
lead over Pohang Steelers.
Kim Tae-hwan put Ulsan in front with three minutes on the clock
before Valeri Qazaishvili's double secured the points for Hong
Myung-bo's team.
A goal from Brazilian forward Zeca gave Pohang a 1-0 win over
Incheon United on Sunday. FC Seoul, two points further back, scored
a 1-0 win over Suwon Bluewings.
SAUDI'S AL HILAL SIGN PREMIER LEAGUE DUO KOULIBALY, NEVES
Four-times Asian Champions League winners Al Hilal have signed
Senegal defender Kalidou Koulibaly from Chelsea and Portugal's Ruben
Neves from Wolverhampton Wanderers as Saudi Arabian clubs continue
to make an impact in the transfer market.
The pair follow N'golo Kante and Karim Benzema, who both joined
Saudi Pro League champions Al Ittihad earlier in the summer, and
last year's signing of Cristiano Ronaldo by Al Nassr.
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The purchasing power of the leading clubs in Saudi
Arabia received a significant boost earlier in the month when Al
Ittihad, Al Ahli, Al Nassr and Al Hilal were all bought by the
country's sovereign wealth fund (PIF).
ASIAN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE MAKES FULL RETURN AS DATES
FINALISED
The Asian Champions League will return with the preliminary round in
mid-August to start the first fully-fledged edition since the COVID
pandemic started.
Travel restrictions during the pandemic saw the usual home-and-away
format scrapped in 2020 in favour of matches being played in
centralised bio-secure hubs.
The 2022 final, in which Japan's Urawa Red Diamonds defeated Al
Hilal from Saudi Arabia, was the first to be played over two legs
since the 2019 edition.
KLINSMANN LOOKING FOR QUICK FIX AFTER DISAPPOINTING START
Juergen Klinsmann has defended his underwhelming start to life as
South Korea coach with the German yet to win any of his four games
in charge since taking over from Paulo Bento.
The South Koreans have drawn twice and lost twice since Klinsmann
was appointed in February.
"I hope I can correct that as quickly as possible because we
absolutely believe we should have won all four games," Klinsmann
told a press conference in Seoul on Thursday.
(Reporting by Michael Church, Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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