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Vietnam and Saudi Arabia off to winning starts at AFC U23 Asian Cup

Fans can stay fully up to date with all live sporting coverage, including the U23 tournament, by following Ariana News and Ariana Television’s official social media platforms, where match schedules, kick-off times, broadcast dates and the latest updates will be shared regularly.

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Vietnam and Saudi Arabia both opened their AFC U23 Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2026 campaigns with victories on Tuesday, securing early momentum in the race for the quarter-finals.

Vietnam enjoyed a confident start as first-half goals guided Kim Sang-sik’s side to a 2-0 win over Jordan. The Southeast Asian team asserted themselves early, testing Jordan goalkeeper Abdelrahman Suleiman through long-range efforts from Khuat Van Khang and Pham Minh Phuc.

Their pressure paid dividends in the 15th minute when Nguyen Dinh Bac calmly converted a penalty following a VAR review that penalized Mohammad Taha for handball. Vietnam continued to capitalize on set-pieces and doubled their advantage in the 42nd minute, with Nguyen Hieu Minh left unmarked at the back post to steer home Van Khang’s inswinging corner.

Jordan pushed harder after the break but were unable to break down a disciplined Vietnamese defense, with Vietnam comfortably seeing out the match to take all three points.

In the other encounter, hosts Saudi Arabia edged debutants Kyrgyz Republic 1-0 thanks to a dramatic late goal from Rakan Al Ghamdi. Despite dominating possession and enjoying a numerical advantage after Arsen Sharshenbekov was sent off in the 34th minute, the 2022 champions were repeatedly denied by an inspired performance from Kyrgyz goalkeeper Kurmanbek Nurlanbekov, who even saved Musab Al Juwayr’s penalty in the second half.

With time running out, Saudi Arabia finally found a breakthrough in the 88th minute when Al Juwayr slipped a clever pass to Al Ghamdi, who rifled his shot past Nurlanbekov to seal the victory.

The results leave Vietnam and Saudi Arabia well placed early in the tournament. Saudi Arabia will face Jordan on Friday, while Kyrgyz Republic will look to bounce back against Vietnam in their next fixture.

Fans can stay fully up to date with all live sporting coverage, including the U23 tournament, by following Ariana News and Ariana Television’s official social media platforms, where match schedules, kick-off times, broadcast dates and the latest updates will be shared regularly.

Viewers are encouraged to follow these pages to ensure they don’t miss a moment of the world-class sporting action being brought to screens across Afghanistan.

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ACL: Ariana Khost win, Aino Mina and Khurasan Faryab draw

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Last Updated on: September 17, 2026

In the ongoing sixth season of Afghanistan Champions League Roshan, Ariana Khost defeated Toofan Herat 2–0, while Aino Mina Kandahar and Khurasan Faryab played out a 1–1 draw.

Ariana Khost and Toofan Herat faced each other in Kabul on Wednesday in the eighth match of the competition.

Neither side managed to score in the first half. However, in the second half, Ariana Khost’s Jawad Alkozay opened the scoring in the 80th minute.

Wares Shirzay then scored Ariana Khost’s second goal in stoppage time, securing a 2–0 victory for his side.

Jawad Alkozay was named the player of the match.

In the ninth match, Aino Mina Kandahar faced Khurasan Faryab, with the game ending in a 1–1 draw.

Sami Yazdani opened the scoring for Khurasan Faryab in the first half, while Sayed Rauf scored for Ain Mina Kandahar, leaving the two sides level at 1–1 at halftime.

Neither team was able to find another goal in the second half, and the match ended in a draw.

The sixth season of Afghanistan Champions League Roshan will continue on Friday with two matches: Surkh Poshan Khafi will face Arman FC, while Sarsabz Yashlar will take on Isteqlal Kabul.

Football fans can watch the matches live on Ariana Television.

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India take 2-0 lead in 3-match series against Afghanistan 

Afghanistan suffered an early setback when Rahmanullah Gurbaz was dismissed for a duck by Arshdeep Singh in the second over, following a maiden from Jasprit Bumrah in the opening over.

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India sealed the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan with a seven-wicket victory on Tuesday, chasing down 160 in just 14.5 overs at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.

Sanju Samson led the charge with a blistering 57 off 22 balls, striking seven fours and four sixes at a strike rate of 259.09. Abhishek Sharma added 39 from 19 deliveries as India raced to 82 without loss during the powerplay.

Afghanistan were restricted to 159/8 after being asked to bat first. Captain Ibrahim Zadran top-scored with 37 from 33 balls, while Rashid Khan provided late acceleration with 28 off 16. India’s Nitish Kumar Reddy was the standout bowler, claiming a career-best 3/24.

Afghanistan suffered an early setback when Rahmanullah Gurbaz was dismissed for a duck by Arshdeep Singh in the second over, following a maiden from Jasprit Bumrah in the opening over.

Ibrahim and Sediqullah Atal attempted to rebuild the innings, but India continued to take wickets whenever Afghanistan threatened to establish momentum. Ibrahim fell for 37 in the ninth over to Nitish, leaving Afghanistan at 67/4.

Atal made 12 before being dismissed by Ravi Bishnoi, while Darwish Rasooli briefly accelerated the scoring with 26 off 15 balls, including two sixes. Arshdeep Singh ended his innings.

Rashid then struck three fours and a six in his 28 from 16 balls to lift Afghanistan towards a competitive total, but Nitish dismissed him in the final over as Afghanistan finished on 159/8.

India’s response was emphatic. Samson and Abhishek attacked from the outset, bringing up 50 in only 4.4 overs before reaching 82 without loss at the end of the powerplay.

Samson reached his half-century from just 20 balls before Rashid Khan struck twice in the space of four deliveries, removing Abhishek for 39 and then Samson for 57.

Rashid completed his three-wicket haul by dismissing India captain Shreyas Iyer for 11, but the damage had already been done.

Ishan Kishan remained unbeaten on 38 from 23 balls, while Tilak Varma finished 15 not out as India reached 163/3 in 14.5 overs to win by seven wickets.

The victory gives India an unassailable 2–0 lead in the series, with the third and final T20I scheduled for Thursday at the same venue.

Brief scores: Afghanistan 159/8 (Ibrahim Zadran 37; Nitish Kumar Reddy 3/24) lost to India 163/3 in 14.5 overs (Sanju Samson 57; Rashid Khan 3/36) by seven wickets.

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Nabi reaches 2,500 T20I runs

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Afghanistan all-rounder Mohammad Nabi has reached another major milestone, becoming the first Afghan player to score 2,500 runs in T20I cricket.

Nabi reached the landmark in his 142nd T20I innings. He has scored seven half-centuries in the format, with a highest score of 89.

The veteran all-rounder continues to add to his record-breaking career and remains one of Afghanistan’s most experienced and influential players in international cricket.

Afghanistan is currently playing India in the second of a three-match T20I series. Fans in Afghanistan can watch the series live on Ariana Television.

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