2011 AFC Champions League

2011 AFC Champions League

Tournament details
Dates	12 Feb 2011 – 05 Nov 2011
Teams	36 (from 13 associations)
Final positions
Champions	Al-Sadd (2nd title)
Runners-up	Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
Third place	Suwon Samsung Bluewings Al-Ittihad Jeddah
Tournament statistics
Matches played	120
Goals scored	336 (2.8 per match)
Attendance	1,294,388 (10,787 per match)
Top scorer(s)	Lee Dong-Gook (9 goals)
Best player	Lee Dong-Gook

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 winner, Al-Sadd qualified for the 2011 FIFA Club World Cup in Japan.

Allocation of entries per association

The AFC has 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 disqualifed and their previous playoff slot was awarded to Qatar.^[4]

West Asia Member Association Clubs Spots Group stage Play-off AFC Cup Saudi Arabia 14 4 0 0 Iran 18 4 0 0 UAE 12 3 1 0 Qatar 12 2 1 0 Uzbekistan 14 2 0 2 India 14 0 1 1 Iraq 36 0 0 3 Jordan 12 0 0 2 Oman 12 0 0 2 Yemen 14 0 0 2 Pakistan 16 0 0 0 Palestine 22 0 0 0 Tajikistan 10 0 0 0 Meet the criteria Do not meet the criteria

East Asia Member Association Clubs Spots Group stage Play-off AFC Cup Japan 18 4 0 0 Korea Republic 15^* 4 0 0 China PR 16 4 0 0 Australia 9+1^** 2 0 0 Indonesia 18 1 1 1 Thailand 18 0 1 1 Vietnam 14 0 0 2 Singapore 12 0 0 1 Malaysia 14 0 0 0 Myanmar 12 0 0 0 ^* 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.

Qualifying teams

The following is the list of direct entrants for the group stage confirmed by the AFC.^[6]

Group stage direct entrants: West Asia (Groups A–D) Team Qualifying method App* Last App Sepahan 2009–10 Persian Gulf Cup champions 7th 2010 Persepolis 2009–10 Hazfi Cup winners 3rd 2009 Zob Ahan 2009–10 Persian Gulf Cup runners-up 3rd 2010 Esteghlal 2009–10 Persian Gulf Cup 3rd place 4th 2010 Al-Hilal 2009–10 Saudi Professional League champions 7th 2010 Al-Ittihad Jeddah 2009–10 Saudi Professional League runners-up 2010 King Cup of Champions winners 7th 2010 Al-Nassr 2009–10 Saudi Professional League 3rd place 1st none Al-Shabab 2009–10 Saudi Professional League 4th place 6th 2010 Al-Wahda 2009–10 UAE Premier League champions 6th 2010 Emirates 2009–10 UAE President's Cup winners 1st none Al-Jazira 2009–10 UAE Premier League runners-up 3rd 2010 Al-Gharafa 2009–10 Qatar Stars League champions 6th 2010 Al-Rayyan 2010 Emir of Qatar Cup winners 3rd 2007 Bunyodkor 2010 Uzbek League champions 2010 Uzbekistan Cup winners 4th 2010 Pakhtakor 2010 Uzbek League runners-up 9th 2010

Group stage direct entrants: East Asia (Groups E–H) Team Qualifying method App* Last App Nagoya Grampus 2010 J. League Division 1 champions 2nd 2009 Kashima Antlers 2010 Emperor's Cup winners 5th 2010 Gamba Osaka 2010 J. League Division 1 runners-up 5th 2010 Cerezo Osaka 2010 J. League Division 1 3rd place 1st none Shandong Luneng Taishan 2010 Chinese Super League champions 5th 2010 Tianjin Teda 2010 Chinese Super League runners-up 2nd 2009 Shanghai Shenhua 2010 Chinese Super League 3rd place 6th 2009 Hangzhou Greentown 2010 Chinese Super League 4th place 1st none FC Seoul 2010 K-League champions 2nd 2009 Suwon Samsung Bluewings 2010 Korean FA Cup winners 4th 2010 Jeju United 2010 K-League runners-up 1st none Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 2010 K-League 3rd place 5th 2010 Sydney FC 2009–10 A-League premiers 2010 A-League Grand Final winners 2nd 2007 Melbourne Victory 2009–10 A-League regular season runners-up 3rd 2010 Arema 2009–10 Indonesia Super League champions 2nd 2007

* 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.

Qualifying play-off participants: West Asia Team Qualifying method App* Last App Dempo 2009–10 I-League champions 2nd 2009 Al-Ain 2009–10 UAE Premier League 3rd place 7th 2010 Al-Ittihad 2010 AFC Cup winners 5th 2008 Al-Sadd 2009–10 Qatar Stars League runners-up 8th 2010

Qualifying play-off participants: East Asia Team Qualifying method App* Last App Sriwijaya 2010 Piala Indonesia winners 3rd 2010 Muangthong United 2010 Thai Premier League champions 2nd 2010

Schedule

Schedule of dates for 2011 competition.^[8]

Phase	Round	Draw date	First leg	Second leg
Qualifying play-offs	Semi-finals	7 December 2010 (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)[9]	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 (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)[10]	14 September 2011	27–28 September 2011
	Semi-finals		19 October 2011	26 October 2011
	Final		4 or 5 November 2011 at home of one of the finalists

Qualifying play-off

The draw for the qualifying play-off was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 7 December 2010.^[11] 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.^[12]

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.^[13]

West Asia

Team 1	Score	Team 2
Semi-final
Al-Sadd	5–1	Al-Ittihad
Final
Al-Sadd	2–0	Dempo

East Asia

Team 1	Score	Team 2
Semi-final
Sriwijaya	2–2 (aet)(7–6p)	Muangthong United
Final
Sriwijaya	0–4	Al-Ain

Group stage

The draw for the group stage was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 7 December 2010.^[11][14] Clubs from the same country may not be drawn into the same group.^[12] The winners and runners-up of each group advanced to the knockout stage.^[13]

Group A

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Sepahan 6 4 1 1 14 5 +9 13 Al-Hilal 6 4 1 1 11 6 +5 13 Al-Gharafa 6 2 1 3 6 7 −1 7 Al-Jazira 6 0 1 5 7 20 −13 1

GHA HIL JAZ SEP Al-Gharafa 0–1 5–2 1–0 Al-Hilal 2–0 3–1 1–2 Al-Jazira 0–0 2–3 1–4 Sepahan 2–0 1–1 5–1

Tiebreakers^[13]

• Sepahan and Al-Hilal are ranked by their head-to-head records: Sepahan (4 pts), Al-Hilal (1 pt).

Group B

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Al-Sadd 6 2 4 0 8 6 +2 10 Al-Nassr 6 2 2 2 10 7 +3 8 Esteghlal 6 2 2 2 11 10 +1 8 Pakhtakor 6 1 2 3 8 14 −6 5

NAS SAD EST PAK Al-Nassr 1–1 2–1 4–0 Al-Sadd 1–0 2–2 2–1 Esteghlal 2–1 1–1 4–2 Pakhtakor 2–2 1–1 2–1

Tiebreakers^[13]

• 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

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Al-Ittihad Jeddah 6 3 2 1 10 5 +5 11 Bunyodkor 6 2 3 1 8 6 +2 9 Al-Wahda 6 1 3 2 6 8 −2 6 Persepolis 6 1 2 3 6 11 −5 5

ITT WAH BUN PER Al-Ittihad 0–0 1–1 3–1 Al-Wahda 0–3 1–1 2–0 Bunyodkor 0–1 3–2 0–0 Persepolis 3–2 1–1 1–3

Group D

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Zob Ahan 6 4 1 1 7 3 +4 13 Al-Shabab 6 3 2 1 8 4 +4 11 Emirates 6 2 0 4 6 10 −4 6 Al-Rayyan 6 1 1 4 4 8 −4 4

RAY SHA EMI ZOB Al-Rayyan 1–1 2–0 1–3 Al-Shabab 1–0 4–1 0–0 Emirates 2–0 2–1 0–1 Zob Ahan 1–0 0–1 2–1

Group E

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Gamba Osaka 6 3 1 2 13 7 +6 10 Tianjin Teda 6 3 1 2 8 6 +2 10 Jeju United 6 2 1 3 6 10 −4 7 Melbourne Victory 6 1 3 2 7 11 −4 6

GAM JEJ MEL TIA Gamba Osaka 3–1 5–1 2–0 Jeju United 2–1 1–1 0–1 Melbourne Victory 1–1 1–2 2–1 Tianjin Teda 2–1 3–0 1–1

Tiebreakers^[13]

• 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

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts FC Seoul 6 3 2 1 9 4 +5 11 Nagoya Grampus 6 3 1 2 9 6 +3 10 Al-Ain 6 2 1 3 4 9 −5 7 Hangzhou Greentown 6 1 2 3 3 6 −3 5

AIN HAN NAG SEO Al-Ain 1–0 3–1 0–1 Hangzhou Greentown 0–0 2–0 1–1 Nagoya Grampus 4–0 1–0 1–1 FC Seoul 3–0 3–0 0–2

Group G

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 6 5 0 1 14 2 +12 15 Cerezo Osaka 6 4 0 2 11 4 +7 12 Shandong Luneng 6 2 1 3 9 8 +1 7 Arema 6 0 1 5 2 22 −20 1

ARE CER JEO SHL Arema 0–4 0–4 1–1 Cerezo Osaka 2–1 1–0 4–0 Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 6–0 1–0 1–0 Shandong Luneng 5–0 2–0 1–2

Group H

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Suwon Samsung Bluewings 6 3 3 0 12 3 +9 12 Kashima Antlers 6 3 3 0 9 3 +6 12 Sydney FC 6 1 2 3 6 11 −5 5 Shanghai Shenhua 6 0 2 4 3 13 −10 2

KSH SHS SUW SYD Kashima Antlers 2–0 1–1 2–1 Shanghai Shenhua 0–0 0–3 2–3 Suwon Samsung Bluewings 1–1 4–0 3–1 Sydney FC 0–3 1–1 0–0

Tiebreakers^[13]

• 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.

Knockout stage

Round of 16

Based on the results from the group stage, the matchups of the round of 16 were decided as below.^[15] 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).^[12]

Team 1	Score	Team 2
Sepahan	3–1	Bunyodkor
Al-Ittihad Jeddah	3–1	Al-Hilal
Al-Sadd	1–0	Al-Shabab
Zob Ahan	4–1	Al-Nassr
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.^[16] 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.	Team 2	1st leg	2nd leg
Cerezo Osaka	5–9	Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors	4–3	1–6
Al-Ittihad Jeddah	3–2	FC Seoul	3–1	0–1
Sepahan	2–4	Al-Sadd	0–3^1	2–1
Suwon Samsung Bluewings	3–2	Zob Ahan	1–1	2–1 (aet)

Notes

• Note 1: The AFC Disciplinary Committee decided to award the quarter-final first leg to Al-Sadd against Sepahan as a 3–0 forfeit win after Sepahan were found guilty of fielding an ineligible player. The match originally ended 1–0 to Sepahan.^[17]

Semi-finals

Team 1	Agg.	Team 2	1st leg	2nd leg
Suwon Samsung Bluewings	1–2	Al-Sadd	0–2	1–0
Al-Ittihad Jeddah	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.^[13] This format was a change from the 2009 and 2010 editions, where the final was played at a neutral venue.^[18]

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors v Al-Sadd

5 November 2011 19:00 UTC+09:00

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 Haidos Lee Jung-Soo Majid Belhadj

Jeonju World Cup Stadium, Jeonju Attendance: 41,805 Referee: Ravshan Irmatov (Uzbekistan)

Winners

AFC Champions League 2011 Winners
Al-Sadd Second Title

Awards

The following awards were given for the 2011 AFC Champions League:^[19]

• Most Valuable Player Award: Lee Dong-Gook (Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors)
• Top Scorer: Lee Dong-Gook (Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors)
• Fair Play Award: Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors

Top scorers

Note: Goals scored in qualifying round not counted.

Rank	Player	Club	MD1	MD2	MD3	MD4	MD5	MD6	R16	QF1	QF2	SF1	SF2	0F0	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

See also

• 2011 AFC Cup
• 2011 AFC President's Cup

References

1. "Criteria for Participation in AFC Club Competitions for 2011–2012 seasons" (PDF). AFC.
2. "12 MAs keen to join ACL". AFC. 2009-11-30.
3. "Singapore seek to pull out of ACL". AFC. 2010-10-04.
4. "ACL slots maintained". AFC. 2010-11-21.
5. "Ad hoc Committee for Professional Clubs". AFC. 2010-07-27.
6. "ACL, AFCC 2010 teams". AFC. 2010-11-29.
7. "AFC Competitions Committee". AFC. 2010-11-23.
8. "AFC Calendar of Competitions 2011" (PDF). AFC.
9. "ACL, AFCC 2011 draws". AFC. 2010-10-11. Retrieved 2010-10-11.
10. "ACL, AFC Cup draws on June 7". AFC. 2011-05-13.
11. "Stage set for ACL, AFC Cup draws". AFC. 2010-12-06.
12. "AFC Champions League 2011 Draw Mechanism for Play-off Stage & Preliminary Stage (Group & Round of 16)" (PDF). AFC.
13. "AFC Champions League 2011 Competitions Regulations" (PDF). AFC.
14. "Mouth-watering matches on the ACL agenda". AFC. 2010-12-07.
15. "ACL: Juicy encounters in offing". AFC. 2011-05-12.
16. "Korea challenge for former champions". AFC. 2011-06-07.
17. "AFC Disciplinary Committee sanctions Sepahan". AFC. 2011-09-26.
18. "AFC Competitions Committee decisions". AFC. 2010-07-31.
19. "Double delight for Lee". The-AFC.com. Asian Football Confederation. 2011-11-05. Retrieved 2011-11-05.

External links

• AFC Champions League Official Website