2020_AFC_Champions_League
2020 AFC Champions League
39th edition of premier club football tournament organized by the AFC
The 2020 AFC Champions League was the 39th edition of Asia's premier club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the 18th under the current AFC Champions League title.[3]
The Ulsan Hyundai team holds the AFC Champions League trophy | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | Qualifying: 14–28 January 2020 Competition proper: 10 February – 19 December 2020 |
| Teams | Competition proper: 29 teams Total: 52 (from 23 associations) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Ulsan Hyundai (2nd title) |
| Runners-up |  Persepolis |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 93 |
| Goals scored | 236 (2.54 per match) |
| Attendance | 182,388 (1,961 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |  Abderrazak Hamdallah Júnior Negrão(7 goals each)[1] |
| Best player(s) | Yoon Bit-garam[2] |
| Fair play award | Ulsan Hyundai |
← 2019 2021 →
(Note: All statistics do not include qualifying play-offs and matches voided by AFC) | |
Ulsan Hyundai won their second Champions League title by defeating Persepolis 2–1 in the final.[4] Ulsan automatically qualify for the 2021 AFC Champions League (although they had already qualified through their domestic performance), the first time since 2008 that the AFC Champions League holders were guaranteed automatic qualification in the following year.[5][6] They also earned the right to play in the 2020 FIFA Club World Cup in Qatar.
The tournament was the last to involve 32 teams during the group stage, which increased to 40 teams in 2021.[7]
The competition was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Asia after group stage matches on 4 March 2020,[8] and restarted on 14 September 2020.[9] All matches after the restart were played in Qatar,[10][11][12] with the final played at the Al Janoub Stadium.
Al-Hilal of Saudi Arabia were the defending champions, but the club effectively withdrew from the competition when they could not name the required 13 players for their final group stage match, as all but 11 players had tested positive for COVID-19.[13][14] For the first time, the video assistant referee (VAR) system was in use from the quarter-finals onwards.[15]
The 46 AFC member associations (excluding the associate member Northern Mariana Islands) were ranked based on their national team's and clubs' performance over the last four years in AFC competitions, with the allocation of slots for the 2019 and 2020 editions of the AFC club competitions determined by the 2017 AFC rankings (Entry Manual Article 2.3):[16]
- The associations were split into two regions:
- West Region consisted of the associations from the West Asian Football Federation (WAFF), the Central Asian Football Association (CAFA), and the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF).
- East Region consisted of the associations from the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) and the East Asian Football Federation (EAFF).
- In each region, there were four groups in the group stage, including a total of 12 direct slots, with the 4 remaining slots filled through play-offs.
- The top 12 associations in each region as per the AFC rankings were eligible to enter the AFC Champions League, as long as they fulfilled the AFC Champions League criteria.
- The top six associations in each region got at least one direct slot in the group stage, while the remaining associations got only play-off slots (as well as AFC Cup group stage slots):
- The associations ranked 1st and 2nd each got three direct slots and one play-off slot.
- The associations ranked 3rd and 4th each got two direct slots and two play-off slots.
- The associations ranked 5th each got one direct slot and two play-off slots.
- The associations ranked 6th each got one direct slot and one play-off slot.
- The associations ranked 7th to 12th each got one play-off slot.
- The maximum number of slots for each association was one-third of the total number of eligible teams in the top division.
- If any association gave up its direct slots, they were redistributed to the highest eligible association, with each association limited to a maximum of three direct slots.
- If any association gave up its play-off slots, they were annulled and not redistributed to any other association.
Association ranking
For the 2020 AFC Champions League, the associations were allocated slots according to their association ranking which was published on 15 December 2017,[17] which took into account their performance in the AFC Champions League and the AFC Cup, as well as their national team's FIFA World Rankings, during the period between 2014 and 2017.[16][18]
| Participation for 2020 AFC Champions League | |
|---|---|
| Participating | |
| Not participating | |
|
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- Notes
- ^ Australia (AUS): The top division run by the Football Federation Australia, the A-League, only had nine Australia-based teams in the 2018–19 season, so Australia could only get a maximum of three total slots (Entry Manual 5.4).[16]
- ^ Syria (SYR): Syria did not have any teams which had an AFC Champions League license.[19]
The following 52 teams from 23 associations entered the competition.
In the following table, the number of appearances and last appearance count only those since the 2002–03 season (including qualifying rounds), when the competition was rebranded as the AFC Champions League.
- Notes
- ^ Title holders (TH): Al-Hilal were the title holders.
- ^ Singapore (SIN): DPMM, the 2019 Singapore Premier League champions, were a team from Brunei and thus ineligible to represent Singapore in AFC club competitions. As a result, Tampines Rovers, the league runners-up, entered the qualifying play-offs.
- ^ Vietnam (VIE): Hà Nội, the 2019 V.League 1 champions, failed to obtain an AFC license as their U15 team did not participate in Vietnam National U-15 Youth League.[20] As a result, Ho Chi Minh City, the league runners-up, entered the qualifying play-offs.
Al-Shorta
Al-ZawraaTehran teams
Persepolis EsteghlalQatar teams
Al-Sadd Al-Duhail Al-Sailiya Al-Rayyan Al-Nassr
Al-HilalDSA Metropolitan teams Sharjah Shabab Al-AhliTashkent teams Pakhtakor Tashkent Lokomotiv Tashkent Bunyodkor
Shanghai Shenhua
Shanghai SIPGWest Kanto teams Yokohama F. Marinos FC TokyoSeoul Capital Area teams
Suwon Samsung Bluewings
FC Seoul Brown: Group A; Red: Group B; Orange: Group C; Yellow: Group D; Green: Group E; Blue: Group F; Purple: Group G; Pink: Group H; Qualifying play-offsThe schedule of the competition was as follows.[21] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, only some of the group stage matches on matchdays 1–3 in February and March were played as scheduled, and all matches on matchdays 4–6 were postponed until further notice.[8] The round of 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals were also initially moved to 10–12 and 24–26 August, 14–16 and 28–30 September, and 20–21 and 27–28 October.[22][23]
The AFC announced the calendar of the remaining matches on 9 July 2020, with all matches before the final played at centralised venues, and all knockout ties played as a single match.[9] On 10 September 2020, the AFC announced the new dates for the East Region matches and the final.[24]
Notes:
- W: West Region
- E: East Region
- Italics: new dates after restart
| Stage | Round | Draw date | Match dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preliminary stage | Preliminary round 1 | No draw | 14 January 2020 |
| Preliminary round 2 | 21 January 2020 | ||
| Play-off stage | Play-off round | 28 January 2020 | |
| Group stage | Matchday 1 | 10 December 2019 | 10–12 February 2020, 18–19 November 2020 (E) |
| Matchday 2 | 17–19 February 2020, 21–22 November 2020 (E) | ||
| Matchday 3 | 3–4 March 2020 (E), 14–15 September 2020 (W), 24–25 November 2020 (E) | ||
| Matchday 4 | 17–18 September 2020 (W), 27–28 November 2020 (E) | ||
| Matchday 5 | 20–21 September 2020 (W), 30 November – 1 December 2020 (E) | ||
| Matchday 6 | 23–24 September 2020 (W), 3–4 December 2020 (E) | ||
| Knockout stage | Round of 16 | 26–27 September 2020 (W), 6–7 December 2020 (E) | |
| Quarter-finals | 28 September 2020 (W) 8 December 2020 (E) |
30 September 2020 (W), 10 December 2020 (E) | |
| Semi-finals | 3 October 2020 (W), 13 December 2020 (E) | ||
| Final | 19 December 2020 |
The original schedule of the competition, as planned before the pandemic, was as follows.
| Stage | Round | Draw date | First leg | Second leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preliminary stage | Preliminary round 1 | No draw | 14 January 2020 | |
| Preliminary round 2 | 21 January 2020 | |||
| Play-off stage | Play-off round | 28 January 2020 | ||
| Group stage | Matchday 1 | 10 December 2019 | 10–12 February 2020 | |
| Matchday 2 | 17–19 February 2020 | |||
| Matchday 3 | 2–4 March 2020 | |||
| Matchday 4 | 6–8 April 2020 | |||
| Matchday 5 | 20–22 April 2020 | |||
| Matchday 6 | 4–6 May 2020 | |||
| Knockout stage | Round of 16 | 18–19 May 2020 (W), 26–27 May 2019 (E) |
25–26 May 2020 (W), 16–17 June 2020 (E) | |
| Quarter-finals | TBD | 24–26 August 2020 | 14–16 September 2020 | |
| Semi-finals | 29–30 September 2020 | 20–21 October 2020 | ||
| Final | 22 November 2020 | 28 November 2020 | ||
In the qualifying play-offs, each tie was played as a single match. Extra time and a penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winner if necessary (Regulations Article 9.2).[3] The bracket of the qualifying play-offs for each region was determined based on the association ranking of each team, with the team from the higher-ranked association hosting the match.[25] Teams from the same association could not be placed into the same tie. The eight winners of the play-off round (four each from both West Region and East Region) advanced to the group stage to join the 24 direct entrants. All losers in each round from associations with only play-off slots entered the AFC Cup group stage.
Preliminary round 1
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
Chennai City  |
0–1 |  Al-Riffa |
Al-Faisaly  |
1–2 (a.e.t.) |  Al-Kuwait |
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
Ceres–Negros  |
3–2 |  Shan United |
Tampines Rovers  |
3–5 (a.e.t.) |  Bali United |
Preliminary round 2
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
Bunyodkor  |
4–1 |  Al-Zawraa |
| Lokomotiv Tashkent |
0–1 |  Istiklol |
| Shahr Khodro |
2–1 | Al-Riffa |
| Esteghlal |
3–0 | Al-Kuwait |
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
Kedah  |
5–1 |  Tai Po |
Buriram United  |
2–1 |  Ho Chi Minh City |
| Port |
0–1 | Ceres–Negros |
Melbourne Victory  |
5–0 | Bali United |
Play-off round
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
Al-Ain  |
1–0 | Bunyodkor |
Al-Ahli  |
1–0 | Istiklol |
Al-Sailiya  |
0–0 (a.e.t.) (4–5 p) |
Shahr Khodro |
| Al-Rayyan |
0–5 | Esteghlal |
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| FC Seoul |
4–1 | Kedah |
Shanghai SIPG  |
3–0 | Buriram United |
FC Tokyo  |
2–0 | Ceres–Negros |
| Kashima Antlers |
0–1 | Melbourne Victory |
The draw for the group stage was held on 10 December 2019, 16:30 MYT (UTC+8), at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.[26] The 32 teams were drawn into eight groups of four: four groups each in the West Region (Groups A–D) and the East Region (Groups E–H). Teams from the same association could not be drawn into the same group. In the group stage, each group was played on a double round-robin basis, with matches played home-and-away before the suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but moved to centralised venues after restart. The winners and runners-up of each group advanced to the round of 16 of the knockout stage.
| Tiebreakers |
|---|
|
The teams were ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If tied on points, tiebreakers were applied in the following order (Regulations Article 10.5):[3]
|
Group A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | AHL | EST | SHO | WAH | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Al-Ahli |
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | −2 | 6 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 2–1 | 1–0 | ||
| 2 | Esteghlal |
4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 5 | 3–0 | — | 1–1 | |||
| 3 | Al-Shorta |
4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 2–1 | 1–1 | — | |||
| 4 | Al-Wahda |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Withdrew[lower-alpha 1] | — |
Notes:
- Al-Wahda were unable to travel to Qatar to play the final four matches of the group stage due to several team members testing positive for COVID-19.[27] They were considered to have withdrawn from the competition, and all previous matches played by them shall be considered "null and void" and would not be considered in determining the final group rankings.[28]
Group B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | PAK | SAH | SHK | HIL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pakhtakor |
4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | +5 | 10 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 2–1 | 3–0 | ||
| 2 | Shabab Al-Ahli |
4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 7 | 0–0 | — | 1–0 | |||
| 3 | Shahr Khodro |
4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 6 | −6 | 0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | — | |||
| 4 | Al-Hilal |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Withdrew[lower-alpha 1] | — |
Notes:
- Al-Hilal failed to name the required 13 players and were unable to play their final match of the group stage against Shabab Al-Ahli due to them having only 11 players left with the remaining team members testing positive for COVID-19. They were considered to have withdrawn from the competition, and all previous matches played by them shall be considered "null and void" and would not be considered in determining the final group rankings.[13]
Group C
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | PRS | TAW | DUH | SHJ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Persepolis |
6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 5 | +3 | 10 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 1–0 | 0–1 | 4–0 | |
| 2 | Al-Taawoun |
6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 8 | −4 | 9[lower-alpha 1] | 0–1 | — | 2–0 | 0–6 | ||
| 3 | Al-Duhail |
6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 8 | −1 | 9[lower-alpha 1] | 2–0 | 0–1 | — | 2–1 | ||
| 4 | Sharjah |
6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 13 | 11 | +2 | 7 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 4–2 | — |
Notes:
Group D
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | NAS | SAD | SEP | AIN | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Al-Nassr |
6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 5 | +4 | 11 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 2–2 | 2–0 | 0–1 | |
| 2 | Al-Sadd |
6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 14 | 8 | +6 | 9 | 1–1 | — | 3–0 | 4–0 | ||
| 3 | Sepahan |
6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 8 | −2 | 7 | 0–2 | 2–1 | — | 0–0 | ||
| 4 | Al-Ain |
6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 13 | −8 | 5 | 1–2 | 3–3 | 0–4 | — |
Group E
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | BEI | MVC | SEO | CHI | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Beijing Guoan |
6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 4 | +8 | 16 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 3–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | |
| 2 | Melbourne Victory |
6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 9 | −3 | 7 | 0–2 | — | 2–1 | 1–0 | ||
| 3 | FC Seoul |
6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 9 | +1 | 6 | 1–2 | 1–0 | — | 5–0 | ||
| 4 | Chiangrai United |
6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 11 | −6 | 5 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 2–1 | — |
Group F
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | ULS | TOK | SSH | PRG | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ulsan Hyundai |
6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 5 | +9 | 16 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2–0 | |
| 2 | FC Tokyo |
6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 10 | 1–2 | — | 0–1 | 1–0 | ||
| 3 | Shanghai Shenhua |
6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 13 | −4 | 7 | 1–4 | 1–2 | — | 3–3 | ||
| 4 | Perth Glory |
6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 11 | −6 | 1 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 1–2 | — |
Group G
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | VIS | SUW | GZE | JDT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vissel Kobe |
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 6 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 0–2 | 0–2 | ||
| 2 | Suwon Samsung Bluewings |
4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 5 | 0–1 | — | 0–0 | |||
| 3 | Guangzhou Evergrande |
4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 1–3 | 1–1 | — | |||
| 4 | Johor Darul Ta'zim |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Withdrew[lower-alpha 1] | — |
Notes:
- Johor Darul Ta'zim were unable to travel to Qatar to play the final four matches of the group stage due to the COVID-19 pandemic travel restrictions after they were denied permission to travel by the Malaysian government.[29] They were considered to have withdrawn from the competition, and all previous matches played by them shall be considered "null and void" and would not be considered in determining the final group rankings.[30]
Group H
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | YOK | SSI | JEO | SYD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yokohama F. Marinos |
6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 5 | +8 | 13 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 1–2 | 4–1 | 4–0 | |
| 2 | Shanghai SIPG |
6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 10 | −4 | 9 | 0–1 | — | 0–2 | 0–4 | ||
| 3 | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors |
6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 10 | −2 | 7 | 1–2 | 1–2 | — | 1–0 | ||
| 4 | Sydney FC |
6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 10 | −2 | 5 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2–2 | — |
In the knockout stage, the 16 teams played a single-elimination tournament, with the teams split into the two regions until the final. Each tie was played as a single-leg match at centralised venues, instead of the usual home-and-away two-legged basis as planned before the COVID-19 pandemic. Extra time and a penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winners if necessary.
Bracket
The bracket was decided after the draw for the quarter-finals. The draw for the West Region quarter-finals was held on 28 September 2020, 11:00 AST (UTC+3), and the draw for the East Region quarter-finals was held on 8 December 2020, 11:30 AST (UTC+3), both in Doha, Qatar.[31][32][33][34]
| Round of 16 | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | |||||||||||
| 27 September – Al Rayyan | ||||||||||||||
| Al-Nassr | 1 | |||||||||||||
| 30 September – Doha (Jassim) | ||||||||||||||
| Al-Taawoun | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Al-Nassr | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 26 September – Al Wakrah | ||||||||||||||
| Al-Ahli | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Al-Ahli (p) | 1 (4) | |||||||||||||
| 3 October – Doha (Jassim) | ||||||||||||||
| Shabab Al-Ahli | 1 (3) | |||||||||||||
| Al-Nassr | 1 (3) | |||||||||||||
| 27 September – Al Rayyan | ||||||||||||||
| Persepolis (p) | 1 (5) | |||||||||||||
| Persepolis | 1 | |||||||||||||
| 30 September – Doha (Jassim) | ||||||||||||||
| Al-Sadd | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Persepolis | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 26 September – Al Wakrah | ||||||||||||||
| Pakhtakor | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Pakhtakor | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 19 December – Al Wakrah | ||||||||||||||
| Esteghlal | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Persepolis | 1 | |||||||||||||
| 6 December – Al Rayyan | ||||||||||||||
| Ulsan Hyundai | 2 | |||||||||||||
| Ulsan Hyundai | 3 | |||||||||||||
| 10 December – Al Wakrah | ||||||||||||||
| Melbourne Victory | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Ulsan Hyundai | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 6 December – Al Rayyan | ||||||||||||||
| Beijing FC | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Beijing FC | 1 | |||||||||||||
| 13 December – Doha (Jassim) | ||||||||||||||
| FC Tokyo | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Ulsan Hyundai (a.e.t.) | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 7 December – Doha (Khalifa) | ||||||||||||||
| Vissel Kobe | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Vissel Kobe | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 10 December – Al Wakrah | ||||||||||||||
| Shanghai SIPG | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Vissel Kobe (p) | 1 (7) | |||||||||||||
| 7 December – Doha (Khalifa) | ||||||||||||||
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 1 (6) | |||||||||||||
| Yokohama F. Marinos | 2 | |||||||||||||
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 3 | |||||||||||||
Round of 16
In the round of 16, the winners of one group played against the runners-up of another group from the same region and the matchups were determined by the group stage draw.
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Al-Ahli |
1–1 (a.e.t.) (4–3 p) |
Shabab Al-Ahli |
| Pakhtakor |
2–1 | Esteghlal |
| Persepolis |
1–0 | Al-Sadd |
| Al-Nassr |
1–0 | Al-Taawoun |
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Beijing FC |
1–0 | FC Tokyo |
| Ulsan Hyundai |
3–0 | Melbourne Victory |
| Vissel Kobe |
2–0 | Shanghai SIPG |
| Yokohama F. Marinos |
2–3 | Suwon Samsung Bluewings |
Quarter-finals
In the quarter-finals, the four teams from the West Region played in two ties, and the four teams from the East Region played in two ties, with the matchups decided by draw, without any seeding or country protection. The draw for the West Region quarter-finals was held on 28 September 2020,[31][32] and the draw for the East Region quarter-finals was held on 8 December 2020.[33][34]
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Ulsan Hyundai |
2–0 | Beijing FC |
| Vissel Kobe |
1–1 (a.e.t.) (7–6 p) |
Suwon Samsung Bluewings |
Semi-finals
In the semi-finals, the two quarter-final winners from the West Region played against each other, and the two quarter-final winners from the East Region played against each other.
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Al-Nassr |
1–1 (a.e.t.) (3–5 p) |
Persepolis |
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Ulsan Hyundai |
2–1 (a.e.t.) | Vissel Kobe |
Final
In the final, the two semi-final winners played against each other, at Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wakrah, Qatar.[12]
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Main awards
| Award | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Most Valuable Player[2] | Yoon Bit-garam |
Ulsan Hyundai |
| Top Scorer[1] | Abderrazak Hamdallah |
Al-Nassr |
| Fair Play Award | Ulsan Hyundai | |
Note: Abderrazak Hamdallah finished ahead of Júnior Negrão to win the Top Scorer award despite scoring the same number of goals, and also having the same number of assists (first tiebreaker), since he played fewer minutes throughout the competition (second tiebreaker).[1]
All Star Squad
Source:[35]
| Position | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Jo Su-huk |
Ulsan Hyundai |
| Hamed Lak |
Persepolis | |
| Defenders |  Dave Bulthuis |
Ulsan Hyundai |
| Saeid Aghaei |
Persepolis | |
| Hossein Kanaanizadegan |
Persepolis | |
| Sultan Al-Ghanam |
Al-Nassr | |
| Anzur Ismailov |
Pakhtakor Tashkent | |
| Midfielders | Ahmad Nourollahi |
Persepolis |
| Siamak Nemati |
Persepolis | |
| Bashar Resan |
Persepolis | |
| Renato Augusto |
Beijing Guoan | |
| Yoon Bit-garam |
Ulsan Hyundai | |
| Kim In-sung |
Ulsan Hyundai | |
| Sin Jin-ho |
Ulsan Hyundai | |
| Ko Seung-beom |
Suwon Samsung Bluewings | |
| Hotaru Yamaguchi |
Vissel Kobe | |
| Forwards | Mehdi Abdi |
Persepolis |
 Omar Al Somah |
Al-Ahli | |
| Douglas |
Vissel Kobe | |
| Gotoku Sakai |
Vissel Kobe | |
| Abderazak Hamdallah |
Al-Nassr | |
 Bjørn Maars Johnsen |
Ulsan Hyundai | |
| Júnior Negrão |
Ulsan Hyundai |
Opta Best XI
Source:[36]
| Position | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Brad Jones |
Al-Nassr |
| Defenders | Wang Gang |
Beijing Guoan |
| Yu Yang |
Beijing Guoan | |
| Min Sang-gi |
Suwon Samsung Bluewings | |
| Theerathon Bunmathan |
Yokohama F. Marinos | |
| Midfielders | Yoon Bit-garam |
Ulsan Hyundai |
| Teruhito Nakagawa |
Yokohama F. Marinos | |
 Jonathan Viera |
Beijing Guoan | |
| Forwards | Ado Onaiwu |
Yokohama F. Marinos |
| Abderrazak Hamdallah |
Al-Nassr | |
| Alan |
Beijing Guoan |
Fans' awards
The AFC took polls of fans in its website after the tournament.
| Award | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Fans' Best Player | Hamed Lak |
Persepolis |
| Best Goal | Mehdi Abdi |
Persepolis |
| Position | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Hamed Lak |
Persepolis |
| Defenders | Sultan Al-Ghanam |
Al-Nassr |
| Shojae Khalilzadeh |
Persepolis | |
| Hossein Kanaanizadegan |
Persepolis | |
| Saeid Aghaei |
Persepolis | |
| Midfielders | Teruhito Nakagawa |
Yokohama F. Marinos |
| Bashar Resan |
Persepolis | |
| Takuya Kida |
Yokohama F. Marinos | |
| Forwards | Abderrazak Hamdallah |
Al-Nassr |
| Júnior Negrão |
Ulsan Hyundai | |
| Mehdi Abdi |
Persepolis |
Statistical leaders
| Category[38] | Player | Team | Figure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goals | Abderrazak Hamdallah |
Al-Nassr |
7 |
| Júnior Negrão |
Ulsan Hyundai |
7 | |
| Chances created | Yoon Bit-garam |
Ulsan Hyundai |
22 |
| Clearances | Maicon Pereira Roque |
Al-Nassr |
34 |
| Duels won |  Dragan Ćeran |
Pakhtakor Tashkent |
54 |
| Shooting accuracy |  Baghdad Bounedjah |
Al-Sadd |
61.1% |
| Passing accuracy | Kamal Kamyabinia |
Persepolis |
91.6% |
| Saves | Jo Su-huk |
Ulsan Hyundai |
26 |
Top scorers
| Rank | Player | Team | MD1 | MD2 | MD3 | MD4 | MD5 | MD6 | R16 | QF | SF | F | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Abderrazak Hamdallah |
Al-Nassr |
1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | ||||
| Júnior Negrão |
Ulsan Hyundai |
1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | |||||||
| 3 | Trent Buhagiar |
Sydney FC |
1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | ||||||
| Bjørn Maars Johnsen |
Ulsan Hyundai |
2 | 2 | 1 | |||||||||
| 5 | Alan |
Beijing FC |
1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||||||
| Issa Alekasir |
Persepolis |
1 | 1 | 2 | |||||||||
| Baghdad Bounedjah |
Al-Sadd |
1 | 2 | 1 | |||||||||
| Ado Onaiwu |
Yokohama F. Marinos |
2 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||
| Yoon Bit-garam |
Ulsan Hyundai |
2 | 2 | ||||||||||
| 10 | Mehdi Abdi |
Persepolis |
1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | |||||||
| Akram Afif |
Al-Sadd |
1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||
| Almoez Ali |
Al-Duhail |
1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||
| Hassan Al-Haydos |
Al-Sadd |
1 | 2 | ||||||||||
| Cho Gue-sung |
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors |
1 | 2 | ||||||||||
| Kyogo Furuhashi |
Vissel Kobe |
1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||
 Giovanni Moreno |
Shanghai Shenhua |
1 | 2 | ||||||||||
| Teruhito Nakagawa |
Yokohama F. Marinos |
2 | 1 | ||||||||||
| Park Chu-young |
FC Seoul |
1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||
| Welliton |
Sharjah |
3 | |||||||||||
| Yu Hanchao |
Shanghai Shenhua |
1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||
| Yun Ju-tae |
FC Seoul |
2 | 1 | ||||||||||
Note: Goals scored in the qualifying play-offs and matches voided by AFC are not counted when determining top scorer (Regulations Article 64.4).[3]
| Stage | Matchday | Player of the Week | Team | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group stage | Matchday 1 | Keijiro Ogawa |
Vissel Kobe |
[39] |
| Matchday 2 | Teruhito Nakagawa |
Yokohama F. Marinos |
[40] | |
| Li Shenglong |
Shanghai SIPG |
[41] | ||
| Matchday 3 – East | Terry Antonis |
Suwon Samsung Bluewings |
[42] | |
| Song Bum-keun |
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors |
[43] | ||
| Matchday 3 – West | Abderrazak Hamdallah |
Al-Nassr |
[44] | |
| Matchday 4 – East | Bill |
Chiangrai United |
[45] | |
| Matchday 4 – West | Khaled Ba Wazir |
Sharjah |
[46] | |
| Matchday 5 – East | Theerathon Bunmathan |
Yokohama F. Marinos |
[47] | |
| Matchday 5 – West | Caio |
Sharjah |
[48] | |
| Matchday 6 – East | Daiki Niwa |
FC Tokyo |
[49] | |
| Matchday 6 – West | Mehdi Ghayedi |
Esteghlal |
[50] | |
| Knockout stage | Round of 16 – East | Kim Tae-hwan |
Suwon Samsung Bluewings |
[51] |
| Round of 16 – West | Issa Alekasir |
Persepolis |
[52] | |
| Quarter-finals – East | Park Sang-hyeok |
Suwon Samsung Bluewings |
[53] | |
| Quarter-finals – West | Sultan Al-Ghanam |
Al-Nassr |
[54] | |
| Semi-finals – East | Daiya Maekawa |
Vissel Kobe |
[55] | |
| Semi-finals – West | Shoja' Khalilzadeh |
Persepolis |
[56] |
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