Nagoya Grampus on Wednesday became the fourth Japanese team to make the last 16 of the AFC Champions League, while the Newcastle Jets kept Australian hopes alive.
Yoshizumi Ogawa scored twice as Nagoya beat South Korea’s Ulsan Hyundai 4-1, ensuring they secured top spot in Group E with 11 points from five games, five ahead of Ulsan and Newcastle, who eased past Beijing Guoan 2-1.
Defending champions Gamba Osaka, who kept their 100 percent record intact with a 1-0 win over China’s Shandong Luneng, have already qualified for the knockout stage, along with Kawasaki Frontale and Kashima Antlers.
The win means Newcastle, who are now second in Group E behind Nagoya, can go through to the playoff stage if they earn a point in their final group match against Ulsan in South Korea on May 20.
In west Asia, Group A will go down to the wire as to who ends up topping it after Uzbek powerhouses Pakhtakor beat bottom-placed Al Ahli of the UAE 2-0.
The Uzbek side have already secured a place in the next round as have Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal, who ensured they stayed in the hunt for top place by beating Iranian outfit Saba Battery 1-0 away.
The two will fight it out in a mouthwatering head to head battle in Saudi Arabia on May 20 with the Uzbeks needing just a point to finish top.
Group B remains a three-horse race despite a shake-up of the table following the withdrawal of Sharjah this week.
The UAE club, who pulled out to focus on escaping relegation in their domestic league, were on zero points and all their previous results are considered null and void.
Saudi Arabia’s Al Shabab could only draw 0-0 at home to Al Gharafa, but it ensured they stayed a point ahead of Wednesday’s opponents in the group.
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
RSS