2011_AFC_Champions_League
2011 AFC Champions League
30th edition of premier club football tournament organized by the AFC
The 2011 AFC Champions League was the 30th edition of the top-level Asian club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the 9th under the current AFC Champions League title. The winners, Al-Sadd qualified for the 2011 FIFA Club World Cup in Japan.
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 12 February – 5 November 2011 |
| Teams | 36 (from 13 associations) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Al-Sadd (2nd title) |
| Runners-up |  Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 117 |
| Goals scored | 323 (2.76 per match) |
| Attendance | 1,264,547 (10,808 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Lee Dong-gook (9 goals) |
| Best player(s) | Lee Dong-gook |
← 2010 2012 → | |
The AFC approved criteria for participation in the 2011 and 2012 seasons.[1] The final decision date was set after the Executive Committee meeting in November 2010.[2]
On 30 November 2009, the AFC announced 12 more MA's that were keen to join the ACL, in addition to ten participating national associations. Singapore later withdrew. The full list of candidate associations were as follows:
- East Asia
- Already participating:
Australia, 
China PR, 
Indonesia, 
Japan, 
Korea Republic - Keen to participate:
Malaysia, 
Myanmar, 
Thailand - Withdrew:
Singapore[3] - Disqualified:
Vietnam[4]
- West Asia
- Already participating:
Iran, 
Qatar, 
Saudi Arabia, 
UAE, 
Uzbekistan - Keen to participate:
Iraq, 
Jordan, 
Oman, 
Pakistan, 
Palestine, 
Tajikistan, 
Yemen, 
India
Note: Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and India have clubs taking part in play-offs to qualify for the group stages of ACL in 2010.
Entrants per association
The allocation for entry to the 2011 ACL stayed the same as the previous two seasons with the exception of Vietnam who were disqualified and their previous playoff slot was awarded to Qatar.[4]
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* One of the K-League clubs, Sangju Sangmu Phoenix, is unable to qualify for the ACL because the team is not a commercial entity and their players are not professionally contracted.[4] ** One of the A-League clubs, Wellington Phoenix, is based in New Zealand, an OFC member country. They are unable to qualify for the ACL.[5] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The finalists of the 2010 AFC Cup also participated in the play-off, provided that they meet the Champions League criteria.
The following is the list of direct entrants for the group stage confirmed by the AFC.[6]
* Number of appearances (including qualifying rounds) since the 2002/03 season, when the competition was rebranded as the AFC Champions League
The following is the list of participants for the playoff stage confirmed by the AFC.[7] The committee further proposed that one team be shifted by the means of a draw from the West to the East for sake of balance.
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Schedule of dates for 2011 competition.[8]
| Phase | Round | Draw date | First leg | Second leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qualifying play-offs | Semi-finals | 7 December 2010 | 12–13 February 2011 | |
| Finals | 19 February 2011 | |||
| Group stage | Matchday 1 | 1–2 March 2011 | ||
| Matchday 2 | 15–16 March 2011 | |||
| Matchday 3 | 5–6 April 2011 | |||
| Matchday 4 | 19–20 April 2011 | |||
| Matchday 5 | 3–4 May 2011 | |||
| Matchday 6 | 10–11 May 2011 | |||
| Knockout phase | Round of 16 | 24–25 May 2011 | ||
| Quarter-finals | 7 June 2011 | 14 September 2011 | 27–28 September 2011 | |
| Semi-finals | 19 October 2011 | 26 October 2011 | ||
| Final | 4 or 5 November 2011 | |||
The draw for the qualifying play-off was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 7 December 2010.[9] In order to create balance another draw was held, moving one of the teams (Al-Ain) from the West into the East side of the play-offs.[10]
The two winners from the qualifying play-off (one from West Asia and one from East Asia) advanced to the group stage. All losers from the qualifying play-off entered the 2011 AFC Cup group stage.[11]
West Asia
East Asia
The draw for the group stage was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 7 December 2010.[9][12] Clubs from the same country may not be drawn into the same group.[10] The winners and runners-up of each group advanced to the knockout stage.[11]
Group A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | SEP | HIL | GHA | JAZ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Sepahan |
6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 5 | +9 | 13[lower-alpha 1] | Advance to knockout stage | — | 1–1 | 2–0 | 5–1 | |
| 2 |  Al-Hilal |
6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 6 | +5 | 13[lower-alpha 1] | 1–2 | — | 2–0 | 3–1 | ||
| 3 | Al-Gharafa |
6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 7 | −1 | 7 | 1–0 | 0–1 | — | 5–2 | ||
| 4 |  Al-Jazira |
6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 20 | −13 | 1 | 1–4 | 2–3 | 0–0 | — |
- Tiebreakers: Sepahan and Al-Hilal are ranked by their head-to-head records: Sepahan (4 pts), Al-Hilal (1 pt).
Group B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | SAD | NAS | EST | PAK | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Al-Sadd |
6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 6 | +2 | 10 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 1–0 | 2–2 | 2–1 | |
| 2 | Al-Nassr |
6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 7 | +3 | 8[lower-alpha 1] | 1–1 | — | 2–1 | 4–0 | ||
| 3 | Esteghlal |
6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 10 | +1 | 8[lower-alpha 1] | 1–1 | 2–1 | — | 4–2 | ||
| 4 |  Pakhtakor |
6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 14 | −6 | 5 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–1 | — |
- Tiebreakers: Al-Nassr and Esteghlal are also tied on their head-to-head records (3 pts, 0 GD, 3 GF), and so are ranked by their overall goal difference.
Group C
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | ITT | BUN | WAH | PER | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Al-Ittihad Jeddah |
6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 5 | +5 | 11 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 1–1 | 0–0 | 3–1 | |
| 2 | Bunyodkor |
6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 6 | +2 | 9 | 0–1 | — | 3–2 | 0–0 | ||
| 3 | Al-Wahda |
6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 8 | −2 | 6 | 0–3 | 1–1 | — | 2–0 | ||
| 4 | Persepolis |
6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 11 | −5 | 5 | 3–2 | 1–3 | 1–1 | — |
Group D
Group E
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | GAM | TIA | JEJ | MEL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Gamba Osaka |
6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 7 | +6 | 10[lower-alpha 1] | Advance to knockout stage | — | 2–0 | 3–1 | 5–1 | |
| 2 |  Tianjin Teda |
6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 6 | +2 | 10[lower-alpha 1] | 2–1 | — | 3–0 | 1–1 | ||
| 3 | Jeju United |
6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 10 | −4 | 7 | 2–1 | 0–1 | — | 1–1 | ||
| 4 |  Melbourne Victory |
6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 11 | −4 | 6 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–2 | — |
- Tiebreakers: Gamba Osaka and Tianjin Teda are ranked by their head-to-head records: Gamba Osaka (3 pts, +1 GD), Tianjin Teda (3 pts, –1 GD).
Group F
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | SEO | NAG | AIN | HAN | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FC Seoul |
6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 4 | +5 | 11 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 0–2 | 3–0 | 3–0 | |
| 2 | Nagoya Grampus |
6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 6 | +3 | 10 | 1–1 | — | 4–0 | 1–0 | ||
| 3 | Al-Ain |
6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 9 | −5 | 7 | 0–1 | 3–1 | — | 1–0 | ||
| 4 | Hangzhou Greentown |
6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 6 | −3 | 5 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | — |
Group G
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | JEO | CER | SHL | ARE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors |
6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 2 | +12 | 15 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 1–0 | 1–0 | 6–0 | |
| 2 | Cerezo Osaka |
6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 4 | +7 | 12 | 1–0 | — | 4–0 | 2–1 | ||
| 3 | Shandong Luneng |
6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 8 | +1 | 7 | 1–2 | 2–0 | — | 5–0 | ||
| 4 |  Arema |
6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 22 | −20 | 1 | 0–4 | 0–4 | 1–1 | — |
Group H
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | SUW | KSH | SYD | SHS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Suwon Samsung Bluewings |
6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 12 | 3 | +9 | 12[lower-alpha 1] | Advance to knockout stage | — | 1–1 | 3–1 | 4–0 | |
| 2 | Kashima Antlers |
6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 3 | +6 | 12[lower-alpha 1] | 1–1 | — | 2–1 | 2–0 | ||
| 3 | Sydney FC |
6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 11 | −5 | 5 | 0–0 | 0–3 | — | 1–1 | ||
| 4 | Shanghai Shenhua |
6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 13 | −10 | 2 | 0–3 | 0–0 | 2–3 | — |
- Tiebreakers: Suwon Samsung Bluewings and Kashima Antlers are also tied on their head-to-head records (2 pts, 0 GD, 2 GF), and so are ranked by their overall goal difference.
Bracket
| Round of 16 | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||||||||||
| Al-Ittihad
| 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Al-Hilal
| 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Al-Ittihad
| 3 | 0 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| FC Seoul
| 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| FC Seoul
| 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Kashima Antlers
| 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Al-Ittihad
| 2 | 1 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
| 3 | 2 | 5 | ||||||||||||||||
| Gamba Osaka
| 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Cerezo Osaka
| 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Cerezo Osaka
| 4 | 1 | 5 | ||||||||||||||||
| Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
| 3 | 6 | 9 | ||||||||||||||||
| Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
| 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Tianjin Teda
| 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
| 2 (2) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Al-Sadd (p)
| 2 (4) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings
| 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Nagoya Grampus
| 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings (a.e.t.)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| Zob Ahan
| 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| Zob Ahan
| 4 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Al-Nassr
| 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings
| 0 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| Al-Sadd
| 2 | 0 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| Sepahan
| 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Bunyodkor
| 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Sepahan
| 0 | 2 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| Al-Sadd [A]
| 3 | 1 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| Al-Sadd
| 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Al-Shabab
| 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
Round of 16
Based on the results from the group stage, the matchups of the round of 16 were decided as below.[13] Each tie was played as one match, hosted by the winners of each group (Team 1) against the runners-up of another group (Team 2).[10]
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Sepahan |
3–1 | Bunyodkor |
| Al-Ittihad |
3–1 | Al-Hilal |
| Al-Sadd |
1–0 | Al-Shabab |
| Zob Ahan |
4–1 | Al-Nassr |
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Gamba Osaka |
0–1 | Cerezo Osaka |
| Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors |
3–0 | Tianjin Teda |
| FC Seoul |
3–0 | Kashima Antlers |
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings |
2–0 | Nagoya Grampus |
Quarter-finals
The draw for the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 7 June 2011.[14] In this draw, the "country protection" rule was applied: if there are exactly two clubs from the same country, they may not face each other in the quarter-finals; however, if there are more than two clubs from the same country, they may face each other in the quarter-finals.
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cerezo Osaka |
5–9 | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors |
4–3 | 1–6 |
| Al-Ittihad |
3–2 | FC Seoul |
3–1 | 0–1 |
| Sepahan |
2–4 | Al-Sadd |
0–3[A] | 2–1 |
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings |
3–2 | Zob Ahan |
1–1 | 2–1 (aet) |
- Notes
Semi-finals
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings |
1–2 | Al-Sadd |
0–2 | 1–0 |
| Al-Ittihad |
3–5 | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors |
2–3 | 1–2 |
Final
The final of the 2011 AFC Champions League was hosted by one of the finalists, decided by draw.[11] This format was a change from the 2009 and 2010 editions, where the final was played at a neutral venue.[16]
| Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 2 – 2 (a.e.t.) | Al-Sadd |
|---|---|---|
Eninho  17'Lee Seung-Hyun 90+2' |
Report | Sim Woo-Yeon 30' (o.g.) Keïta 61' |
| Penalties | ||
Eninho  Kim Dong-Chan  Park Won-Jae Kim Sang-Sik |
2 – 4 | Niang Al-Haydos Lee Jung-Soo Majid Belhadj |
The following awards were given for the 2011 AFC Champions League:[17]
- Most Valuable Player Award: Lee Dong-Gook (Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors)
- Top Scorer: Lee Dong-Gook (Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors)
- Fair Play Award: Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
Note: Goals scored in qualifying round not counted.
| Rank | Player | Club | MD1 | MD2 | MD3 | MD4 | MD5 | MD6 | R16 | QF1 | QF2 | SF1 | SF2 | 0 F 0 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lee Dong-Gook |
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors |
1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 9 | ||||||||
| 2 |  Eninho |
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors |
2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7 | |||||||
| 3 | Ha Tae-Gyun |
Suwon Samsung Bluewings |
3 | 1 | 2 | 6 | |||||||||
| 4 |  Bader Al-Mutawa |
Al-Nassr |
1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | ||||||||
| Farhad Majidi |
Esteghlal |
1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | |||||||||
 Dejan Damjanović |
FC Seoul |
1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | |||||||||
 Ibrahima Touré |
Sepahan |
1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | |||||||||
| 8 | Yasser Al-Qahtani |
Al-Hilal |
1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | |||||||||
 Abdelmalek Ziaya |
Al-Ittihad |
2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||||||||||
| Hiroshi Kiyotake |
Cerezo Osaka |
1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ||||||||||
| Takashi Inui |
Cerezo Osaka |
1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | ||||||||||
| Rodrigo Pimpão |
Cerezo Osaka |
2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||||||||||
| Yeom Ki-Hun |
Suwon Samsung Bluewings |
1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |||||||||
| Igor Castro |
Zob Ahan |
1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ||||||||||
| Mohammad Ghazi |
Zob Ahan |
1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
- "Criteria for Participation in AFC Club Competitions for 2011–2012 seasons" (PDF). AFC. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 August 2012.
- "12 MAs keen to join ACL". AFC. 30 November 2009.
- "Singapore seek to pull out of ACL". AFC. 4 October 2010.
- "ACL slots maintained". AFC. 21 November 2010. Archived from the original on 12 September 2012.
- "Ad hoc Committee for Professional Clubs". AFC. 27 July 2010.
- "ACL, AFCC 2010 teams". AFC. 29 November 2010.
- "AFC Competitions Committee". AFC. 23 November 2010.
- "AFC Calendar of Competitions 2011" (PDF). AFC. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 July 2010.
- "Stage set for ACL, AFC Cup draws". AFC. 6 December 2010.
- "AFC Champions League 2011 Draw Mechanism for Play-off Stage & Preliminary Stage (Group & Round of 16)" (PDF). AFC. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 December 2010. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
- "AFC Champions League 2011 Competitions Regulations" (PDF). AFC. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 December 2010. Retrieved 7 December 2010.
- "Mouth-watering matches on the ACL agenda". AFC. 7 December 2010.
- "ACL: Juicy encounters in offing". AFC. 12 May 2011.
- "Korea challenge for former champions". AFC. 7 June 2011.
- "AFC Competitions Committee decisions". AFC. 31 July 2010.
- "Double delight for Lee". The-AFC.com. Asian Football Confederation. 5 November 2011. Retrieved 5 November 2011.