Friendly: Macau 3:1 Laos. Gois Fernandes scored twice while Niki Torres scored the other. Laos got thier goal from a Gois Fernandes own goal. Macau top scorer Leong Ka-Hang did not play as he is recovering from an operation.
http://www.the-afc.com/asian-cup-20...p-a-preview-india-ready-to-take-the-next-step India vs Macau preview from AFC.
India 4:1 Macau Macau clearly ran out of gas in the second half. They need experience and this is good experience for them. It is good to see them score a goal. Leong Ka-Hang has still to recover from operation, if he, Duarte and Edgar Teixiera can return for the home match against Kyrgyzstan then they may actually get a home win.
http://macaudailytimes.com.mo/football-afc-asian-cup-macau-defeated-4-1-india-strong-start.html FOOTBALL – AFC ASIAN CUP | MACAU DEFEATED 4-1 BY INDIA AFTER STRONG START Macau was defeated 4-1 by India last night in their AFC Asian Cup qualifying match at Bangalore’s Sree Kanteerava Stadium, building on the 2-0 rout of Macau in the match’s first leg on September 5. The two national teams were tied 1-1 at half-time – a strong start for the local underdogs – after goals by India’s Rowllin Borges and Macau’s Nicholas Torrão. According to football analysts, Torrão’s 38th-minute goal took advantage of a lapse in the Indian defense. The two defenders guarding Torrão reacted late to a cross into the Macau footballer, and a deflection off one of the Indian players secured the goal. But the stamina of the Macau team appeared to run dry as the second half went on and the team conceded three goals in the 60th, 71st, and 91st minutes during a prolonged Indian attack, that left the Macau team increasingly demoralized. The result is the second worst defeat for Macau in this year’s qualifier rounds since its 4-0 loss to Myanmar on June 13. India, ranked 107 in the world, has defeated all of its group’s challengers so far in the latest AFC Asian Cup qualifier round; namely Kyrgyzstan (128), Myanmar (157) and now Macau (182 on the FIFA ranking). Macau lost both of its first leg matches against Kyrgyzstan (0-1) and Myanmar (0-4) and is due to play the second legs on November 14 and March 27, 2018, respectively. After last night’s victory, India has guaranteed its ascension into the AFC Asian Cup Finals competition, standing on a total of 12 points, the maximum possible given the number of games thus far played. Kyrgyzstan and Myanmar both have four points apiece and will now compete for the second qualifier spot. As of last night’s results, there remains a slim possibility that Macau can still qualify for the Finals competition. DB
http://www.cdaves.pt/noticias/detalhes/312 A bit of an old news, but 17 year old Macau goalkeeper Lee Wa-Si, currently with Macau Development Team, has signed for Clube Desportivo das Aves in Portugal. He has gone on trial with them for two weeks. As he is still only 17 he will stay in Macau for one year and join them when he turns 18 next year. 15 year old McArthur will also join the club. He currently plays for Casa de Portugal in the Macau 2nd division.
Macau 0:2 Sun Yuen Long FC (HK) Macau's final preparation match before meeting Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday.
Macau is determined to get their first point of the Asian Cup campaign in their last home match against Kyrgyzstan.
http://www.the-afc.com/asian-cup-2019/qualifiers-group-a-md5-macau-v-kyrgyz-republic Macau 3-4 Krygyzstan Macau was 3-0 down early in second half but they staged a good fight back to score 3 goals and gave the visitors a good run for their money.
http://portugues.tdm.com.mo/radio_new.php?ra=nd&nid=16251 TDM Macau Radio reports that Benfica de Macau will play in the group stages of the 2018 AFC Cup. It will be interesting to see how they perform.
Seiji Saito has joined Macau club Chao Pak Kei. He is reported to have signed a one year contract which will include the 11-a-side league season from January. I think he is the second Japanese player to play in the Macau league after Dan Ito.
Benfica Macau has won the 7-a-side Macau Invitation Cup, achieving the treble. (League, FA Cup and 7-a-side Cup.) Striker Nikki Torrao was asked about the hectic schedule the club will face next season, playing in the league, FA Cup and AFC Cup at the same time period. He said he believes it will be a huge challenge but he also believes in the club's strength in depth, they will prove that they are the best club in Macau on the field.
http://www.offside.hk/macau/benfica-de-macau-successfully-obtain-afc-club-license/ Confirmation that Benfica de Macau has successfully gained its AFC club license, meaning it can take part in the 2018 AFC Cup.
Confirmation of Benfica's group in the AFC Cup. They could potentially play two North Korean sides in the group.
They WILL play two North Korean sides. I cannot imagine a North Korean side losing to a Mongolian club. Well, at leaast Benfica Macau gets to play in an Asian club competition. It is new to them and will be very good experience for Macau players.
Macau FA met with local media and announced its plans for 2018. The national team will play 3 friendlies (one each in March, June and September), 1 Asian Cup qualifier (away to Myanmar) and the EAFF East Asia Cup qualifying in July. The 11-a-side league, both first and second division, will begin in January. Women's 5-a-side league will also be held, as well as 7-a-side league from September. Macau FA will also introduce GPS singlets for its players to train with. The GPS singlet will provide performance data, including running distance, heart rate, speed, load...etc for the coaches to work with.
Benfica Macau held a press conference to talk about their 2018 strategy. They have signed foreigners from Uganda, Krygzstan and Cape Verde to strengthen their chances in the AFC Cup, where they will face North Korean clubs. Monte Carlo will play with an all Chinese squad in 2018. They have signed a deal with Xinjiang Tianshan Snow Leopard and Macanese players could in future move to the Chinese club.
https://macaudailytimes.com.mo/benfica-de-macau-kicks-off-season-highlighting-afc-cup.html BENFICA DE MACAU KICKS OFF SEASON HIGHLIGHTING AFC CUP Duarte Alves (center) The Benfica de Macau football team will be participating in three different competitions this year. Aside from the regular Macau’s Elite League Championship and the Macau Football Association (MFA) Cup, Benfica will be involved in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup, an annual international association football competition between Asian domestic clubs in Asia. At a press conference held yesterday by the club at OneTwo sports apparel shop in central Macau, the team administrator, Duarte Alves, noted that the participation of the Macau team in the Asian competition is a “unique opportunity.” Alves noted that 2018 will be the only year where a direct entry to the group stage will be granted to a local team, as “for 2019, we already have the information that due to Macau’s ranking, the local team that wins the championship [Elite League] will have to play a preliminary playoff stage in order to access the [main] competition.” Alves also highlighted, “this will be the first time [and the last] that a Macau team will participate with direct entry to a competition of this level.” This participation is the main novelty for the season, representing an important challenge for the team. As Alves said, “it represents participation in a competition at a higher level than the one that we are used to here in Macau – a lot more competitive. We say this, but obviously we are going to give our best to obtain the best possible result.” However, he added that the competition will be strong and very experienced, including many players that are used to representing their national teams in World Championships. “We are well aware of what we can expect [to find] and we will give it our best,” he concluded. Club goals for the other two competitions have been long established. Alves mentioned, “to be five-time champions of the Macau league and to renew the title of MFA Cup are always the [team’s] objectives.” To achieve these goals, the team has strengthened its lineup with the hiring of a few new players, while retaining the core squad. Leading the team is also a new coach, Bernardo Tavares from Portugal, who already has experience in AFC competitions, most notably in 2015, when he led the Al-Nahda Club from Oman in the competition. LOCAL CHAMPIONS MAY PLAY TWICE IN NORTH KOREA On the sidelines of the event, the Times questioned Alves on the opponents. The 4.25 Sports Club, which Benfica will have to play, is from North Korea and this might mean that the match is played in North Korean territory. He responded, “everything points in that direction. Only if there is no way to travel to the country, whether the country is at war or it does not authorize our entry, or even if the Macau SAR does not authorize our travel to the country (as happened before in the game between Malaysia and DPR Korea), the match needs to be played on a neutral field [otherwise it is played in two legs; one in each country or region].” The Benfica team manager also said, “when I was in Malaysia for the workshop and draw, I asked that question and I was told that it should be played [normally].” But the match with 4.25 Sports Club might not be the only one to be played in North Korea. The East Asian Group in which Benfica Macau has been placed also features Hang Yuen from Taiwan, and possibly another North Korean team, Hwaebul. Hwaebul, second in the North Korean Championship, still have a playoff game with Mongolia champions Erchim in order to determine the last of the group of four. The playoff match will take place next month.
MUST CPK hopes to challenge Benfica de Macau this season and wins the right to play in AFC competitions. They have sponsorship from MUST which allows them to invest more resources into the club. They have improved the squad and their youth training centre now has 200 boys.
Just a few updates on the opening weekend matches: Monte Carlo lost surprisingly to newly promoted Hang Sai won 1:0. Monte Carlo's all Chinese squad is off to a poor start. Reigning champions Benfica de Macau overcame Ka I to win 2-1. MUST CPK won 12-0 against Lai Chi. Danilo scored five goals.
Macau Elite League Benfica de Macau 5:0 Lai Chi Nikki Torrao (above heading in red shirt) scored all five goals for Benfica. Monte Carlo 2:1 Policia.