Defending champions the Pohang Steelers and Adelaide United each ensured a place in the next stage of the Asian Champions League with a scoreless draw on Tuesday, when Japan’s Gamba Osaka also advanced and Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal became the first West zone team into the round of 16.
Pohang’s progress means all four South Korean clubs are into the second round of the tournament. Adelaide, the 2008 finalists, needed the away draw to secure its spot from Group H.
Suwon Bluewings had a clean sheet and an unbeaten record through four matches until a 2-1 loss to Gamba Osaka, allowing both clubs to progress with a game to spare in Group G.
Takashi Usami scored the late winner for 2008 champion Gamba, which leads the group with 11 points from five matches, one clear of Suwon.
In the other Group G match, Singapore Armed Forces beat China’s Henan Jianye 2-1.
Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal became the first team from West Asia to secure a place in the second round this year when Iranian club Mes Kerman lost 2-1 to Al Ahli of the United Arab Emirates. Al Hilal, which was then held to a scoreless draw by Al Sadd of Qatar, has a four-point buffer atop Group D with only one more match remaining.
Eight teams have already qualified for the second round, but none so far in Group C.
Pakhtakor’s 3-2 win over Al Ain, combined with Al Shabab’s 1-0 away loss to Sepahan in Iran, means that three teams remain in contention for a second-round berth in the last group matches later this month.
Odil Ahmedov’s hat-trick helped Uzbek club Pakhtakor hold off Al Ain, with all five goals in the match scored in the opening 30 minutes.
Pakhtakor leads with 10 points, one clear of Sepahan and two ahead of Shabab, leaving only 2003 champion Al Ain with no chance of progressing from Group C.
In yesterday’s matches, unbeaten Kashima Antlers was bidding to continue their winning streak when they traveled to Changhcun Yatai in Group F, with Jeonbuk Motors hosting Indonesia’s Persipura Jayapure at Jeonju.
In Group E, unbeaten Seongnam Ilhwa traveled to Kawasaki and Melbourne Victory hosted Beijing Guoan.
Group B leader Zohahan of Iran was away at Al Wahda and Al Ittihad hosted Uzbek giant Bunyodkor.
In Group A, Esteghlal hosted Al Ahli and Al Gharafa faced Al Jazira.
Taiwan kept their hopes of advancing to next year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Saturday, backed by solid pitching. Taiwan last night played against Nicaragua. As of press time, Nicaragua was leading 6-0. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan on Saturday kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen struck out one and allowed no hits, except for a hit-by-pitch over
Taiwan kept its hopes of advancing to the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome last night, backed by solid pitching. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. The win was crucial for Taiwan, as a loss would have eliminated the team from contention for the next WBC. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen (沙子宸) struck out one and allowed no hits, except for
Team Taiwan are set to face Spain in a win-or-go-home match tonight for the final berth at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), despite losing to Nicaragua 6-0 in the WBC qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Sunday. The home team’s loss on Sunday means Nicaragua finish first in the qualifier round in Taipei with a perfect 3-0 record and advances to next year’s finals. After crushing South Africa 9-1 earlier on Sunday, Spain took second place in the four-team qualifier with a 2-1 record. With a 1-2 record, Taiwan finished third while South Africa placed at the bottom with
Team Taiwan avoided missing the World Baseball Classic (WBC) for the first time by defeating Spain 6-3 in a do-or-die game in Taipei last night. After narrowly escaping a mercy-rule loss to Spain in the WBC Qualifiers opener on Friday last week, the home team — winner of last year's WBSC Premier12 title three months ago — got their revenge against the 2023 European champions at Taipei Dome. "It felt quite different from when we won the Premier12," Taiwan captain Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲) said after the game, recalling the ups and downs the team has experienced over the past few days. Unlike in
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