A Dazzling Decade of Asian Men's Football
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NFL | Page 4 CRICKET | Page 7 Dolphins stun Australia Pats as Chiefs win focused on for bye, Eagles New Zealand advance whitewash Tuesday, December 31, 2019 FOOTBALL Jumada I 5, 1441 AH Moyes confi dent he GULF TIMES will make West Ham beg him to stay SPORT Page 3 REVIEW A dazzling decade of Asian From Qatar’s scintillating victory at the AFC Asian Cup courtesy young stars like Almoez and Afif, to new men’s football winners at club competitions, the decade saw it all t was a decade of change, goals in six matches, but it was pected, yet thoroughly deserved three English titles to his name 2018-19; a title won by Uz- and Malaysia among the teams ers beat Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal growth and unforgettable James Troisi’s 105th minute extra- maiden Asian title with seven when the decade began, but he bekistan’s Vitaly Denisov with tapping into their enormous 1-0 on aggregate to become the memories for men’s football time winner against Korea Repub- consecutive wins, 19 goals scored was among the fi rst Asian players Lokomotiv Moscow a year prior. support base on a meaningful fi rst Australian club to win the across the world’s most lic which proved decisive after Son and only one conceded. to win a major European club title Despite beginning the decade and regular basis. AFC Champions League. Ipopulous continent. Heung-min had scored a dramatic It was a pair of 22-year-olds in the 2010s when he lifted the as a 30-year-old, Tim Cahill While the 2010 AFC Champi- Malaysia’s Johor Daurl Tazim Two fi rst-time AFC Asian Cup injury-time equaliser to silence who stole the limelight, with 2010-11 Premier League trophy remained Australia’s most ons League featured a total of 37 defeated Tajikistan’s FC Istiklol winners, four new club cham- the crowd just minutes earlier. striker Almoez Ali netting a with Manchester United. recognisable footballing export clubs from 15 member associa- in 2015 to become the fi rst club pions and a galaxy of new Asian tournament record nine goals, While Park starred in England, for most of the 2010s, appearing tions, the 2019 edition included from Southeast Asia to win the stars meant the 2010s produced The decade’s third and fi nal while Akram Afi f laid on 10 Shinji Kagawa burst onto the for major clubs throughout the 51 clubs from 22 nations, with AFC Cup, while Iraq’s Air Force countless classic moments and AFC Asian Cup marked the assists as Felix Sanchez’s side scene in Germany, winning globe, scoring an unforgettable the AFC Cup fi eld growing from Club would go on to claim an footballing landmarks from dawn of a new era, with the swept all before them before successive Bundesliga titles FIFA World Cup volley against 31 to 43 in the same timespan. unprecedented three successive both established and developing competition growing from beating Japan 3-1 in the fi nal in with Borussia Dortmund in 2011 the Netherlands, and notching a Asian club football’s growth titles in the competition from nations. 16 to 24 teams ahead of the Abu Dhabi. and 2012, before becoming the staggering 31 of his 50 interna- is set to continue into the 2020s, 2016 to 2018. 2019 edition in the United fi rst Japanese player to win the tional goals from 2010 onwards. with the AFC Champions League Al Hilal closed out the decade THREE ASIAN CUPS, TWO Arab Emirates 10 YEARS OF STARS: ASIA’S Premier League after joining group stage to expand to 40 with their 2019 AFC Champions NEW CHAMPIONS WORLD-BEATERS Manchester United ahead of the Son Heung-Min became the teams ahead of the 2021 edition League triumph. The AFC Asian Cup grew from The past 10 years have seen a gal- 2012-13 season. second Korean of the 2010s, of the continent’s most prestig- 16 to 24 teams and added two Australia’s other goal scorer in axy of Asian stars shine brighter Kagawa’s Samurai Blue team- aft er Park Ji-Sung, to play in ious club football competition. CHALLENGING THE WORLD: new winners in a transformative the fi nal, 22-year-old midfi elder than ever, with several players mate Shinji Okazaki also won a UEFA Champions League ASIA ON THE WORLD STAGE decade for Asian football’s fl ag- Massimo Luongo, took the from the continent establishing the English title during Leceister fi nal, in 2019, the same year A DECADE OF FIRSTS: The 2010 FIFA World Cup in ship tournament. tournament by storm, producing themselves as world class players City’s remarkable 2015-16 cam- he was nominated for the HISTORY-MAKING CLUBS South Africa promised much as After Iraq ended the previ- a series of superb performances on some of the game’s biggest paign, while countryman Keisuke Ballon d’Or Clubs, countries and entire re- both Japan and Korea Repub- ous decade as Asian champions to earn the title of Most Valuable stages. Honda won silverware in Russia gions tasted continental glory for lic advanced from the group following their stunning 2007 Player. Korea Republic star Park for CSKA Moscow, before joining the fi rst time in a decade which stage. Japan carried Asian hopes triumph in Southeast Asia, Japan The decade’s third and fi nal Ji- sung already Italian giants AC Milan in 2014. However, few, if any, had the saw Asia’s two major trophies through to the Round of 16 in claimed a fourth title in 2011, AFC Asian Cup marked the dawn had Iranian striker Sardar Azmoun impact of Korea Republic for- shared far and wide. Russia in 2018. before Australia and Qatar both of a new era, with the was another Asian forward to ward Son, who starred through- Uzbekistan’s FC Nasaf got the Those three second round ap- carved out pieces of history by competition growing star in Russia. out the decade for clubs in both ball rolling in 2011, when their pearances were as good as it got claiming glorious maiden Asian from 16 to 24 Still only 24, Azmoun has Germany and England. 2-1 AFC Cup fi nal win over Al for Asian sides at the FIFA World titles in 2015 and 2019 respec- teams ahead bagged over 60 goals for Rubin Son went on to establish himself Kuwait made them the fi rst club Cup, but teams from the conti- tively. of the 2019 Kazan, FC Rostov and Zenit St. as an elite forward for Hamburg, from former-Soviet Central Asia nent became regular challengers Hosted by Qatar, the 2011 edition in Petersburg, winning the Russian Bayer Leverkusen and Tottenham, to win a major Asian club title. in global youth fi nals. tournament delivered countless the United Premier League with and winning the AFC International Chinese powerhouse Iraq reached 2013 FIFA U-20 memorable matches, culminating Arab Emir- the latter Player of the Year on three occa- Guangzhou Evergrande made World Cup semi-fi nals in Tur- in a star-studded fi nale between ates. in season sions. Son became the second their own history two years later, key, while a Korea Republic side Japan and Australia at Doha’s In keep- Korean of the 2010s, after Park, to inspired by Lee Kang-in charged Khalifa International Stadium. ing with play in a UEFA Champions League While the 2010 AFC all the way to the fi nal of the After 120 high-quality min- the theme, a fi nal, in 2019, the same year he was Champions League featured 2019 edition in Poland. utes of football, it was Alberto youthful Qatar nominated for the Ballon d’Or. a total of 37 clubs from 15 Iran lit up the Asian futsal Zaccheroni’s Samurai Blue who stunned eve- member associations, the scene in the 2010s, winning prevailed, with Tadanari Lee’s ryone by GROWING THE GAME: A 2019 edition included 51 three AFC Futsal Championships spectacular extra-time volley storming DECADE OF EXPANSION clubs from 22 nations, with and fi nishing third at the 2016 sealing the title for a side blessed to an The expanded AFC Asian Cup the AFC Cup fi eld growing FIFA Futsal World Cup. with the likes of Keisuke Honda unex- was one of many examples of the from 31 to 43 in the same Iran fi nished the decade as the and Shinji Kagawa. game’s growth during the 2010s, timespan second-ranked Beach Soccer Having narrowly missed out with both club and international team in the world, and fi nished on a fi rst Asian title, Australia football experiencing a game- becoming the fi rst club from the third in the 2017 FIFA Beach atoned for their Doha defeat changing increase in opportuni- world’s most populous nation to Soccer World Cup. when they achieved a break- ties for development. become Asian champions in the Japan would follow in their through win in front of 76,000 For many nations, the expan- AFC Champions League era, and footsteps two years later in roaring fans on home soil four sion has created the opportunity only the second in history fol- Paraguay, reaching the global years later. to host the Continent’s biggest lowing Liaoning FC’s 1990 Asian semi-fi nals, with only a penalty With ultra-attacking head national teams in competitive Club Championship title. shootout defeat to eventual win- coach Ange Postecoglou at the home-and-away fi xtures, with The fi rsts continued in 2014, ners Portugal ending their bid for helm, the Socceroos piled on 14 India, Cambodia, Indonesia when Western Sydney Wander- a maiden title.