Soccer- Iran Downs Hong Kong in Asian World Cup Qualifiers
By Michael Church
HONG KONG, Nov 20 (Reuters) - Talking points from the week in Asian football:
ASIA BIG GUNS RECORD EASY WINS IN WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS
Japan, South Korea, Australia, Iran and Saudi Arabia all recorded comfortable wins...
Soccer-Goals Flow for Iran at Asia’s World Cup Qualifying
By Michael Church
OSAKA, Nov 16 (Reuters) - Japan, South Korea, Australia and Iran notched up comfortable wins on Thursday as the second phase of Asia's preliminaries for the 2026 World Cup kicked off for the region's dominant nations with few...
Soccer- Iran’s Sepahan Makes Strides in Asian Champions League
By Michael Church
Nov 6 (Reuters) - Al-Ittihad head coach Nuno Espirito Santo's hopes of keeping his job suffered a blow as the Saudi Pro League side slumped to a 2-0 loss at Iraq's Air Force Club...
Soccer-Sepahan Handed Fine, Stadium Ban After Al-Ittihad Cancellation
Nov 3 (Reuters) - Iran's Sepahan have been handed a $200,000 fine by the Asian Football Confederation and banned from playing at their Nagsh-e-Jahan stadium after last month's Asian Champions League clash with Saudi Arabia's Al-Ittihad...
Soccer-Neymar on Target as Al-Hilal Defeated Iran’s Nassaji Mazandaran
By Michael Church
Oct 3 (Reuters) - Neymar scored his first goal since his high profile move to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday as Al-Hilal defeated Iran's Nassaji Mazandaran 3-0 in Tehran's Azadi Stadium in the group phase of...
Soccer-Iran Match With Saudis Cancelled Stirring Possible Diplomatic Row
Oct 2 (Reuters) - Al-Ittihad's Asian Champions League match with Iran's Sepahan was called off on Monday after the Saudi team refused to leave their dressing-room due to a statue of an assassinated Iranian general being placed at...
Games- Iran Beat Japan in Men’s Table Tennis Quarter Finals
By Ian Ransom
HANGZHOU, China, Sept 30 (Reuters) - North Korea's Ri Song Gum set a weightlifting world record at the Asian Games where Chinese tennis trailblazer Zhang Zhizhen claimed his nation's first men's singles gold medal...
Games-Displaced Afghan Women Athletes Defy Taliban at Asian Games
By Ian Ransom
HANGZHOU, China, Sept 27 (Reuters) - On a pristine volleyball court on the seventh floor of a massive training centre in the Chinese city of Hangzhou, a team of Afghanistan women prepare for their...
Soccer-Crowds Hail Ronaldo’s Arrival in Iran Ahead of Match
Sept 18 (Reuters) - Al-Nassr captain Cristiano Ronaldo received a warm reception in Iran on Monday, in the first visit of a Saudi team to Iran since 2016 ahead of the beginning of the group stage of the Asian Champions...
Soccer- Iran Teams Ready to Challenge at Asian Champions League
By Michael Church
HONG KONG, Sept 17 (Reuters) - Five times UEFA Champions League winner Cristiano Ronaldo will begin his quest to add another continental title to his resume on Tuesday when Saudi Arabia's Al-Nassr kick off...
