2007 AFC Asian Cup

2007 AFC Asian Cup
Piala Asia 2007 (Indonesian, Malaysian)
เอเชียนคัพ 2007 (Thai)
Cúp bóng đá châu Á 2007 (Viet)

Logo of the 2007 Asian Cup
Tournament details
Host country  Indonesia
 Malaysia
 Thailand
 Vietnam
Dates 7 July – 29 July
Teams 16 (from 1 confederation)
Venue(s) 8 (in 7 host cities)
Final positions
Champions  Iraq (1st title)
Runners-up  Saudi Arabia
Third place  South Korea
Fourth place  Japan
Tournament statistics
Matches played 32
Goals scored 84 (2.63 per match)
Attendance 724,222 (22,632 per match)
Top scorer(s) Iraq Younis Mahmoud
Saudi Arabia Yasser Al-Qahtani
Japan Naohiro Takahara
(4 goals)
Best player Iraq Younis Mahmoud
Fair play award  Japan

The Asian Football Confederation's 2007 AFC Asian Cup finals were held from 7 July to 29 July 2007. For the first time in its history, the competition was co-hosted by four nations: Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. For the first time in the nation's history, Iraq won the continental title after it defeated Saudi Arabia 1-0 in the final. As the winner, Iraq represented the AFC in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup.

Before 2007 and every four years, Asia often held its continental tournament from 1956 until China in 2004. With the Summer Olympic Games and the European Football Championship also held in the same year as the Asian Cup, the AFC changed their tradition. Beginning in 2007, Asia will hold its continental tournament a year earlier, and every four years henceforth from that date.

An estimated worldwide television audience of 650 million people tuned in to watch the 2007 AFC Asian Cup.[1]

Australia participated for the first time since moving to the AFC from the OFC. Australia happened to also be the tournament's first nation aside from the co-hosts to qualify for the 2007 Asian Cup.

Host selection

Match between Indonesia vs South Korea during 2007 AFC Asian Cup, Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta, Indonesia.

Mohammed Bin Hammam proposed and present a move to have four host nations for the 2007 Asian Cup. However, he later regretted this decision and called it his "mistake", citing the financial and logistic difficulties in organising an event across four countries.

He said that "It is proving very difficult for [the executive committee as they] have to have four organising committees, four media centres and there are also financial considerations." He also revealed that "[He would] definitely [not do] it [again]", if he had the choice.

In June 2005, the Asian Football Confederation warned Thailand that it needed to improve its facilities before 2007, otherwise it would be dropped, possibly being replaced with Singapore. On August 12 of the same year, the AFC confirmed that Thailand would be a co-host of the 2007 Asian Cup.[2] However, in October 2006, Thailand was again warned to improve its facilities in 90 days.[3]

Venues

Indonesia Jakarta Indonesia Palembang Malaysia Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Shah Alam
Gelora Bung Karno Stadium Gelora Sriwijaya Stadium National Stadium Shah Alam Stadium
Capacity: 88,306 Capacity: 40,000 Capacity: 87,411 Capacity: 69,932
Thailand Bangkok Thailand Bangkok Vietnam Hanoi Vietnam Ho Chi Minh City
Rajamangala Stadium Suphachalasai Stadium Mỹ Đình National Stadium Army Stadium
Capacity: 65,000 Capacity: 19,793 Capacity: 40,192 Capacity: 25,000

Qualification

The qualification round ran from February 22, 2006, to November 15, 2006. For the first time, the defending champions (Japan) needed to attend the qualification stage. Twenty-four nations would be split into six four-team groups for the qualifcation phase of the 2007 AFC Asian Cup. As the four co-hosts - Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam - were already granted automatic qualification.

Country Qualified asDate qualification was secured Previous appearances in tournament12
 Indonesia Co-hosts 7 August 2004 3 (1996, 2000, 2004)
 Malaysia Co-hosts 7 August 2004 2 (1976, 1980)
 Thailand Co-hosts 7 August 2004 5 (1972, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004)
 Vietnam Co-hosts 7 August 2004 2 (19563, 19603)
 Australia Group D winner 11 October 2006 0 (debut)
 Japan Group A winner 15 November 2006 5 (1988, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004)
 Saudi Arabia Group A runner-up 15 November 2006 6 (1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004)
 Iran Group B winner 15 November 2006 10 (1968, 1972, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004)
 South Korea Group B runner-up 15 November 2006 10 (1956, 1960, 1964, 1972, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1996, 2000, 2004)
 United Arab Emirates Group C winner 15 November 2006 6 (1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2004)
 Oman Group C runner-up 15 November 2006 1 (2004)
 Bahrain Group D runner-up 15 November 2006 2 (1988, 2004)
 Iraq Group E winner 15 November 2006 5 (1972, 1976, 1996, 2000, 2004)
 China PR Group E runner-up 15 November 2006 8 (1976, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004)
 Qatar Group F winner 15 November 2006 6 (1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, 2000, 2004)
 Uzbekistan Group F runner-up 15 November 2006 3 (1996, 2000, 2004)
1 Bold indicates champion for that year
2 Italic indicates host

Seeds

For the first time, the seeds are based on the October 2006 FIFA World Rankings instead of the basis of the performance from the previous AFC Asian Cup competition. This was to ensure that the same number of strong teams do not meet in the early stage.[4]

The four seeded teams were announced on December 19, 2006. The seeds comprised Pot 4 in the draw. Pot 1 consists of the teams from all co-hosts.

Pot 1 Pot 2 Pot 3 Pot 4

 Indonesia
 Malaysia
 Thailand
 Vietnam

 China PR
 Iraq
 United Arab Emirates
 Bahrain

 Qatar
 Uzbekistan
 Saudi Arabia
 Oman

 Australia
 Iran
 Japan
 South Korea

On December 19, 2006, the draw was held in the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.

Match ball

The Official Match Ball for the 2007 AFC Asian Cup was launched by Nike on May 15, 2007, making it the first time ever that a ball had been launched specifically for any football competition in Asia.[5] The Nike Mercurial Veloci AC features four blue stripes with gold trim with each host city's name inscribed, as well as the AFC Asian Cup logo.[6]

Officials

16 referees and 24 assistant referees were officially cleared following a fitness test on July 2 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. One referee and two assistant referees were also named from the CAF.[7]

† Replaced Singapore Shamsul Maidin after the referee pulled out with injury.[8]

Songs

In 2007 AFC Asian Cup had two songs: "I Believe" by Tata Young from Thailand and "Play Hard" by Kim from Vietnam.

Squads

For more details on this topic, see 2007 AFC Asian Cup squads.

Tournament summary

Participating countries.

The Asian Cup saw many upsets in the early stages of the tournament. In Group A, Oman held favourites Australia to a surprising draw. Oman took the lead and would have won save for an injury time goal from Tim Cahill. Next, hosts Vietnam shocked Gulf Champions UAE with a 2-0 victory. In the same group, Qatar held Japan to a shock 1-1 draw. The result caused Japan coach Ivica Osim to fly into a rage in which he branded his players as 'amateurs' and reduced his interpreter to tears.[9] In Group D, Indonesia continued the undefeated streak of the hosts by defeating Bahrain 2-1. Malaysia ended up as the only host country to drop their match, losing to China 5-1. Thailand recorded just its 2nd win in the Asian Cup finals (their other was in 1972 against Cambodia), and its first ever win in regulation, when they beat Oman 2-0 on July 12. Meanwhile, Australia was upset by a 3-1 defeat against Iraq the following day, leaving them floundering in the tournament despite high expectations.

In the quarterfinals, Iraq defeated Vietnam 2-0, while South Korea ('Korea Republic') needed a penalty shootout to eliminate Iran 4-2. Japan also needed a penalty shootout to defeat Australia 4-3 (this was the first time Australian 'keeper Mark Schwarzer had ever come out on the losing end of a penalty shoot-out), and Saudi Arabia won over Uzbekistan 2-1. Iraq upset South Korea in the semi-finals by winning 4-3 on penalties, resulting in thousands of Iraqis celebrating in the streets of Baghdad. Over 50 Iraqis were killed by terrorist bombs targeting these crowds.[10] In the other semi-finals, Saudi Arabia topped defending champions Japan 3-2 to make an all-Arab affair for the final match.

Iraq went on to defeat Saudi Arabia 1-0 taking the Asian Cup title. Iraqi forward and captain Younis Mahmoud was given the title of Most Valuable Player. South Korea took third place narrowly beating Japan in penalties 6-5. It was the third consecutive match in the tournament that South Korea played 0-0 before a penalty shootout. Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and South Korea, as the top three national teams in the tournament, all received automatic berths to the 2011 Asian Cup along with the next hosts Qatar. .[11]

Group stage

Key to colours in group tables
Group winners and runners-up advance to the quarter-finals

Group A

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Iraq 312042+25
 Australia 311164+24
 Thailand 311135−24
 Oman 302113−22

7 July 2007
19:30 UTC+7
Thailand  1 – 1  Iraq
Suksomkit  6' (pen.) Report Mahmoud  32'

8 July 2007
17:15 UTC+7
Australia  1 – 1  Oman
Cahill  90+2' Report Al-Maimani  32'

12 July 2007
17:15 UTC+7
Oman  0 – 2  Thailand
Report Thonkanya  70', 78'

13 July 2007
17:15 UTC+7
Iraq  3 – 1  Australia
Akram  22'
M. Mohammed  60'
Jassim  86' 		Report Viduka  47'
Rajamangala Stadium, Bangkok
Attendance: 6,000
Referee: Jasim Karim (Bahrain)

16 July 2007
19:30 UTC+7
Thailand  0 – 4  Australia
Report Beauchamp  21'
Viduka  80', 83'
Kewell  90'

16 July 2007
19:30 UTC+7
Oman  0 – 0  Iraq
Report

Group B

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Japan 321083+57
 Vietnam 311145−14
 United Arab Emirates 310236−33
 Qatar 302134−12

9 July 2007
17:15 UTC+7
Japan  1 – 1  Qatar
Takahara  61' Report Soria  88'

12 July 2007
19:30 UTC+7
Qatar  1 – 1  Vietnam
Soria  79' Report Thanh Bình  32'

16 July 2007
17:15 UTC+7
Vietnam  1 – 4  Japan
Suzuki  8' (o.g.) Report Maki  12', 59'
Endō  31'
S. Nakamura  53'

16 July 2007
17:15 UTC+7
Qatar  1 – 2  United Arab Emirates
Soria  42' (pen.) Report Al-Kass  60'
Khalil  90+4'
Army Stadium, Ho Chi Minh City
Attendance: 3,000
Referee: Masoud Moradi (Iran)

Group C

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Iran 321063+37
 Uzbekistan 320192+76
 China PR 311176+14
 Malaysia 3003112−110

10 July 2007
20:30 UTC+8
Malaysia  1 – 5  China PR
Mahayuddin  74' Report Han Peng  15', 55'
Shao Jiayi  36'
Wang Dong  51', 90+3'
Bukit Jalil Stadium, Kuala Lumpur
Attendance: 21,155
Referee: Muhsen Basma (Syria)

11 July 2007
18:15 UTC+8
Iran  2 – 1  Uzbekistan
Hosseini  55'
Kazemian  78' 		Report Rezaei  16' (o.g.)

14 July 2007
18:15 UTC+8
Uzbekistan  5 – 0  Malaysia
Shatskikh  10', 89'
Kapadze  30'
Bakayev  45+2' (pen.)
Ibrahimov  85' 		Report

15 July 2007
18:15 UTC+8
China PR  2 – 2  Iran
Shao Jiayi  7'
Mao Jianqing  33' 		Report Zandi  45+1'
Nekounam  74'

18 July 2007
20:30 UTC+8
Malaysia  0 – 2  Iran
Report Nekounam  29' (pen.)
Teymourian  77'

18 July 2007
20:30 UTC+8
Uzbekistan  3 – 0  China PR
Shatskikh  72'
Kapadze  86'
Geynrikh  90+4' 		Report

Group D

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Saudi Arabia 321072+57
 South Korea 31113304
 Indonesia 310234−13
 Bahrain 310237−43

10 July 2007
17:15 UTC+7
Indonesia  2 – 1  Bahrain
Sudarsono  14'
Pamungkas  64' 		Report Mahmood  27'

15 July 2007
19:30 UTC+7
Bahrain  2 – 1  South Korea
Isa  43'
Abdul-Latif  85' 		Report Kim Do-Heon  4'

Knockout stage

Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
                   
21 July - Bangkok        
  Iraq  2
25 July - Kuala Lumpur
  Vietnam  0  
  Iraq (pen.)  0 (4)
22 July - Kuala Lumpur
    South Korea  0 (3)  
  Iran  0 (2)
29 July - Jakarta
  South Korea (pen.)  0 (4)  
  Iraq  1
21 July - Hanoi
    Saudi Arabia  0
  Japan (pen.)  1 (4)
25 July - Hanoi
  Australia  1 (3)  
  Japan  2 Third place
22 July - Jakarta
    Saudi Arabia  3  
  Saudi Arabia  2   South Korea (pen.)  0 (6)
  Uzbekistan  1     Japan  0 (5)
28 July - Palembang

Quarter-finals

21 July 2007
20:15 UTC+7
Iraq  2 – 0  Vietnam
Mahmoud  2', 65' Report

Semi-finals

25 July 2007
20:15 UTC+7
Japan  2 – 3  Saudi Arabia
Nakazawa  37'
Abe  53' 		Report Y. Al-Qahtani  35'
Mouath  47', 57'

Third place play-off

Final

29 July 2007
19:30 UTC+7
Iraq  1 – 0  Saudi Arabia
Mahmoud  72' Report

Winners

 AFC Asian Cup 2007 Winners 

Iraq
First title

Awards

Top Goalscorers Most Valuable Player Best Goalkeeper Best Defender Best Defence Most Entertaining Team Fair Play Award
Iraq Younis Mahmoud
Saudi Arabia Yasser Al-Qahtani
Japan Naohiro Takahara		 Iraq Younis Mahmoud Iraq Noor Sabri Iraq Bassim Abbas Iraq Iraq Iraq Iraq  Japan

Team of the tournament

The Toshiba All-Star XI was voted for by fans on the official Asian Cup website. The overall results of the votes were:

Goalkeeper Defenders Midfielders Forwards

South Korea Lee Woon-jae

Japan Yuji Nakazawa
Australia Lucas Neill
Iraq Bassim Abbas
Iran Rahman Rezaei

Japan Shunsuke Nakamura
Australia Harry Kewell
South Korea Lee Chun-soo
Iraq Nashat Akram

Japan Naohiro Takahara
Saudi Arabia Yasser Al-Qahtani

Goalscorers

With four goals, Younis Mahmoud, Naohiro Takahara and Yasser Al-Qahtani are the top scorers in the tournament. In total, 84 goals were scored by 57 different players, with two of them credited as own goals.

Top scoring teams

12 goals

11 goals

10 goals

7 goals

6 goals

4 goals

3 goals

1 goal

Final positions

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Eff
1 Iraq 633072+51266.7%
2 Saudi Arabia 6411126+61372.2%
3 South Korea 6141330738.9%
4 Japan 6231117+4950.0%
Eliminated in the Quarterfinals
5 Iran 422063+3866.7%
6 Uzbekistan 4202104+6650.0%
7 Australia 412175+2541.7%
8 Vietnam 411247−3433.3%
Eliminated in the First Stage
9 China PR 311176+1444.4%
10 Thailand 311135−2444.4%
11 Indonesia 310234−1333.3%
12 United Arab Emirates 310236−3333.3%
13 Bahrain 310237−4333.3%
14 Qatar 302134−1222.2%
15 Oman 302113−2222.2%
16 Malaysia 3003112−1100.0%

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/asian-cup/news/1015189/Cities-fight-for-Asian-Cup-motza
  2. ↑ "Thailand confirmed as AFC Asian Cup 2007 co-host". AFC. 2005-08-12. Archived from the original on October 15, 2007.
  3. ↑ "Thailand handed 90-day Asian Cup reprieve". The Guardian. 2006-10-17. Archived from the original on 2010-01-16.
  4. ↑ "AFC Asian Cup 2007 Organising Committee approves team classification for Final Draw". AFC. 2006-12-19. Archived from the original on June 23, 2007. Retrieved 2006-12-19.
  5. ↑ "AFC Asian Cup 2007 Official Match Ball launched". AFC. 2006-06-26. Archived from the original on June 23, 2007.
  6. ↑ "Exclusive Pictures: Asian Cup Match Ball". 442 Magazine Australia. 2007-05-14. Archived from the original on 2010-01-16.
  7. ↑ "Officials announced for Asian Cup". AFC. 2007-06-21.
  8. ↑ "Referee Maidin ruled out through injury". AFC. 2007-06-26.
  9. ↑ AFC Asian Cup - ESPN Soccernet
  10. ↑ "Iraq bombs strike football fans", BBC News, 25 July 2007
  11. ↑ The Times of India Sports: Extensive sports coverage, key statistics and free downloads

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