Asia

Ten-man Jiangsu Suning saw off former champions Shanghai SIPG 2-1 after extra time in their Chinese Super League playoff semifinal on Monday to set up a title decider with defending champions Guangzhou Evergrande next week.

Luo Jing’s stunning long-range strike two minutes into the second period of extra time earned Cosmin Olaroiu’s side victory on the night and a 3-2 aggregate win to take Jiangsu into the showpiece against Guangzhou over two legs on Nov. 8 and 12.

LUSAKA — After clinching the top scorer award in the Women's Chinese Super League, Zambian footballer Barbra Banda is inspiring girls at home to follow in her footsteps.

The 20-year-old won the Golden Boot of China's top flight after scoring 18 goals in 13 games.

The powerful forward, playing her debut season in China, finished the campaign nine goals ahead of her nearest challenger Temwa Chawinga of Wuhan Jianghan. Having helped her side seal third place in the standings, Banda has been the talk of the league.

Football Federation Australia (FFA) said on Thursday it has called off a training camp in Europe and scrapped plans for matches against England and the United States in London next month due to the worsening COVID-19 crisis on the continent.

The FFA had been close to confirming dates for the November friendlies but said the "ongoing and worsening COVID-19 landscape across Europe" had forced it to reconsider.

Son Heung-min has helped Tottenham past Manchester United to become the most popular foreign club in South Korea with more than 20% of the nation now allied to the North London side, according to Nielsen Fan Insights.

It’s been five years since Real Madrid defender Marcelo showed up at an Alevín A training session (La Fábrica’s U-12 category) and watched on in disbelief as Takuhiro “Pipi” Nakai, then age 11, dribbled in a style that the Brazilian admitted was beyond his level of understanding.  

Pipi showing his qualities to Marcelo . pic.twitter.com/5jaFj8pWP3

FIFA 21 officially releases worldwide on Friday, Oct. 9, but anyone who ordered the Ultimate or Champions editions, as well as those provided early access codes by EA Sports, are now free to play the game. With the early reviews arriving, is FIFA 21 worth it?  

The elephant in the room is the situation faced by video game developers over the course of the ongoing pandemic. I’ve got huge respect for Pro Evolution Soccer’s decision to admit that PES 2021 is nothing more than a “season update” with the latest lineups, kits, etc. and a reduced retail price of $29.99. 

HONG KONG — Iranian striker Issa Alekasir has been handed a six-month ban by the Asian Football Confederation for a “discriminatory gesture” just hours before he was due to lead his club Persepolis into the semifinals of the Asian Champions League.

The 30-year-old forward, who has scored four times in the last three games in the competition, received the ban after making a slant-eyed gesture to television cameras after scoring against Uzbekistan’s Pakhtakor in the quarterfinals on Wednesday evening.