Led by Cristiano Ronaldo, Riyad Mahrez and Aleksandar Mitrovic, Saudi Arabian clubs are dominating the western zone of the AFC Champions League Elite but, in the east, Japan is on top with Chinese clubs bouncing back after a difficult period.
Al-Ahli, Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr are first, second and third in the western zone group, the 24 teams in the tournament are divided into two groups of 12, and are already guaranteed a place in the Round of 16.
It has not been easy however. Like the European version, Asia’s top tier tournament has expanded the number of group stage games from six to eight putting extra demands on even the cashed-up Saudi Arabian clubs.
“The tournament is very difficult, it is similar to the UEFA Champions League,” said Al-Hilal boss Jorge Jesus. “If we want to succeed, we must manage in the required manner. Pressure and fatigue are the fate of big clubs that compete in all tournaments and we are up to the task.”
With the domestic seasons in east Asia already over, there are fewer demands on clubs who are in action on Tuesday and Wednesday and the three Chinese teams are in the top eight with seven points each.
After years of financial problems and clubs folding, fans are enjoying the relative success of the clubs especially as the national team has won two of its last three qualifiers to keep hopes of the 2026 World Cup alive.
Shanghai Shenhua and Shanghai Port are in the running as are Shandong Taishan.
“In the AFC Champions League, all our preparations are 100%, and our efforts are also 100%,” Tang Tian, Shandong assistant coach, said. “We will review and prepare for the away game against Kawasaki and strive for a satisfactory result.”
Kawasaki Frontale is one of three Japanese clubs in the top four. Vissel Kobe is top and will seal its knockout stage place if it defeats South Korea’s Pohang Steelers.
“When we looked at the competition in the beginning, it was always in our thinking that we would need three, four wins to go through,” Kobe coach Takayuki Yoshida said. “Now we’re close but we have an important game in Korea next.”
Yokohama F. Marinos will be close to doing the same if it can defeat Central Coast Mariners of Australia. John Hutchinson spent ten years as a player at the A-League club and is now the fourth Australian to coach Yokohama, succeeding Harry Kewell in July who followed Kevin Muscat and Ange Postecoglou.
Under Hutchinson, Yokohama has won its last five games to climb into seventh in the J.League and third in the Champions League, following last week’s defeat of Pohang.
“I’m happy with the boys and their performance,” said Hutchinson. “We ended up with the three points and have our game against Australia’s Central Coast Mariners next. We want to win that game to climb the table.”
The Mariners, Australia’s sole representative in the tournament, have just one point from five games and are in desperate need of a win.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
FILE - Al Nassr's Cristiano Ronaldo kicks the ball during Riyadh Season Cup 2024 final match against Al Hilal at Kingdom Arena Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024. (AP Photo, File)
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Josh Allen’s memorable week began with singer and actress Hailey Steinfeld accepting his proposal for marriage and ended with the Buffalo Bills quarterback celebrating his three-TD outing in an AFC East-clinching 35-10 win over San Francisco by making snow angels alongside coach Sean McDermott on Sunday night.
“He’s the one that got me to do it,” Allen said of interrupting McDermott’s television interview to lay backwards into a snow pile. “I’m not the biggest snow angel fan, because you get cold down there, my toes are freezing right now ... but it was fun.”
As for Steinfeld saying “Yes,” during his bye week proposal, Allen said: “Felt good. Felt free.”
He could just as well have been referring to his performance by braving bone-chilling temperatures and a persistent snowfall in becoming the NFL’s first quarterback and seventh player in the Super Bowl era to score a touchdown passing, rushing and receiving. Sandwiched between his 7-yard touchdown pass to Mack Hollins and an 8-yard scoring run, Allen scored a receiving touchdown on a pass he threw in his latest do-everything performance.
With Amari Cooper corralling a short pass with a one-handed catch, the receiver was in the midst of being wrapped up by two Niners defenders when he pitched the ball back to Allen. The QB sprinted to the left corner of the end zone and dived past for the pylon for the score.
“It’s got to be up there. I wish he got credited for something there, an assist or a passing touchdown,” Allen said of Cooper. “I just kind of chased the ball to be there and we made eye contact. ... It was dope.”
Cooper said he acted on instinct in a play that could well have been drawn up in the snow on the sideline.
“I was wondering what he was doing over there,” Cooper said. “I figured he was over there because he wanted the ball, so I gave it to him.”
Snow flew like confetti in celebration from the packed stands as the Bills (10-2) scored on four of five possessions spanning halftime to build a 28-3 lead, starting with Ray Davis’ 5-yard run. James Cook scored on a career-high 65-yard run and finished with 107 yards rushing.
The defending NFC champion 49ers (5-7) unraveled as they dropped their third straight and lost running back Christian McCaffrey to what coach Kyle Shanahan said was a potential season-ending injury to the posterior cruciate ligament in his knee.
Shanahan believes McCaffrey was hurt on an 18-yard run up the middle. The All-Pro running back stayed in the game and on the next play appeared to step awkwardly with his left foot on the snow-slicked field and went down immediately. After being examined on the sideline, he limped to the locker room and was ruled out at the start of the second half.
McCaffrey had 53 yards on seven carries when he exited the game, his fourth after missing the first eight of the season with Achilles tendinitis.
“It feels dark and gloomy and absolutely depressing, honestly I’ll feel that probably in a couple hours,” tight end George Kittle said. “The only way to make this feel better is to go take advantage of next week and try to get a win.”
Very little went right for the 49ers in an outing they lost three fumbles and Jake Moody missed two of three field-goal attempts. San Francisco was also missing five starters due to injury and is now in jeopardy of missing the playoffs a season after losing the Super Bowl to Kansas City.
Moody opened the scoring with a 33-yard field goal and Isaac Guerendo scored on a 15-yard run. Brock Purdy, coming back after missing one game with a sore throwing shoulder, finished 11 of 18 for 94 yards.
Allen finished 13 of 17 passing for 148 yards and two touchdowns, three rushes for 18 yards and a score, and zero catches for 7 yards and a TD. He was serenaded by fans with chants of “MVP!” and sat out most of the fourth quarter.
“It's a good feeling. This one feels a little bit different this early in the season,” Allen said of clinching the division while also staying in the hunt to catch Kansas City (11-1) for the AFC's top seed. “It’s going to be fun, I mean, to go out there and play free and play relaxed and play loose. I think that could be a dangerous team.”
Allen now has scored 247 career TDs (186 passing, 59 rushing and two receiving) to break Hall of Famer Jim Kelly’s franchise record of 244.
Buffalo has won seven straight since back-to-back losses to Baltimore and Houston, and is 10-2 or better for the fifth time in team history and first since 1991. The Bills became the NFL’s eighth team, and first since Indianapolis in 2009, to clinch a division title with five games remaining.
Buffalo extended its run of scoring 30 or more points to six straight games, while the Niners dropped to 0-5 when scoring 20 or fewer.
49ers: Host Chicago next Sunday.
Bills: At the Los Angeles Rams next Sunday.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Snow falls at Highmark Stadium during the second half of an NFL football game between the Buffalo Bills and the San Francisco 49ers in Orchard Park, N.Y., Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) looks to pass against the Buffalo Bills during the first half of an NFL football game in Orchard Park, N.Y., Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
Buffalo Bills wide receiver Mack Hollins, middle left, scores a touchdown past San Francisco 49ers cornerback Charvarius Ward (7) during the first half of an NFL football game in Orchard Park, N.Y., Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
Buffalo Bills wide receiver Curtis Samuel, right, is tackled by San Francisco 49ers safety Ji'Ayir Brown during the second half of an NFL football game in Orchard Park, N.Y., Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
San Francisco 49ers running back Jordan Mason (24) runs against Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin (3) during the second half of an NFL football game in Orchard Park, N.Y., Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
San Francisco 49ers running back Isaac Guerendo, right, runs for a touchdown past Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin (3) during the second half of an NFL football game in Orchard Park, N.Y., Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) passes against the Buffalo Bills during the second half of an NFL football game in Orchard Park, N.Y., Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, middle, scores past San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner during the second half of an NFL football game in Orchard Park, N.Y., Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) dives for the end zone to score against the San Francisco 49ers during the second half of an NFL football game in Orchard Park, N.Y., Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
