2014 AFC Champions League
Tournament details
Dates29 January – 1 November 2014
Teams47 (from 19 associations)
Final positions
ChampionsAustralia Western Sydney Wanderers (1st title)
Runners-upSaudi Arabia Al-Hilal
Tournament statistics
Matches played126
Goals scored325 (2.58 per match)
Attendance1,897,236 (15,057 per match)
Top scorer(s)Ghana Asamoah Gyan
(12 goals)
Best player(s)Australia Ante Covic

The 2014 AFC Champions League was the 33rd edition of the top-level Asian club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the 12th under the current AFC Champions League title. Guangzhou Evergrande were the defending champions, but were eliminated by Western Sydney Wanderers in the quarter-finals.

In the final, Western Sydney Wanderers of Australia defeated Al-Hilal of Saudi Arabia 1–0 on aggregate, to become the first Australian team to win the title,[1] and in doing so qualified for the 2014 FIFA Club World Cup.[2] The Australian club were making their debut in the competition, having won entry to the competition by winning the 2012–13 A-League Premiership in their first year of existence.

Allocation of entries per association

The AFC laid out the procedure for deciding the participating associations and the allocation of slots, with inspection of the associations interested in participating in the AFC Champions League to be done in 2013, and the final decision to be made by the AFC on 26 November 2013.[3]

The AFC Competitions Committee proposed the following participating criteria for the 2014–2016 editions of the AFC Champions League on 12 March 2013:[4]

  • The top 23 member associations (MAs) as per the AFC rankings can apply either for direct slots or play-off slots.[5] The interested MAs are given points and ranked according to the AFC evaluating system.
  • In both the East and West zones, there are a total of 14 direct slots in the group stage, with the 2 remaining slots filled through play-offs.
  • The top five MAs in both the East and West zones, if they acquire a minimum of 600 points, get direct slots in the group stage, while the remaining MAs, if they meet the minimum requirements, get play-off slots. The following scheme of allocating slots was approved by the AFC for the 2014–16 tournaments:[6]
    • The top two ranked MAs in both the East and West zones get four direct slots each.
    • The third-ranked MAs get three direct and one play-off slot.
    • The fourth-ranked MAs get two direct and two play-off slots.
    • The fifth-ranked MAs get one direct and two play-off slots.
    • The sixth- to eleventh-ranked MAs each get one play-off slot.
  • The maximum number of slots for each MA is one-third of the total number of clubs in the top division (e.g., Australia can only get a maximum of three total slots as there are only nine Australia-based clubs in the A-League).
  • The AFC Cup winners and runners-up are given a play-off slot, regardless of their respective MA's rank, as long as the club meets the minimum criteria. If they have already qualified based on domestic performance, the slot is given to the next eligible club in its MA, as long as the club meets the minimum criteria.

On 26 November 2013, the AFC Executive Committee approved the slots for the 2014 edition of the AFC Champions League.[7][8]

Evaluation for 2014 AFC Champions League
Fulfills criteria (> 600 points)
Does not fulfill criteria, but allocated slots
Not assessed, but allocated slots
Notes
  1. ^ a b c
    The play-off entrant from India is moved to the East Asia Zone.
  2. ^
    Kuwait got one play-off slot based on the AFC Champions League evaluation. Moreover, Al-Kuwait and Al-Qadsia were the 2013 AFC Cup winners and runners-up respectively, and were given play-off slots. However, since they were the only two Kuwaiti clubs which passed the club licensing requirements, Kuwait only had two teams entering the qualifying play-off.[8][9]

Teams

The following teams 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. TH means title holders.

Notes
  1. ^
    Bahrain (BHR): Al-Hidd were chosen to represent Bahrain in the AFC Champions League as they passed the club licensing requirements.[10]
  2. ^
    India (IND): Pune were chosen to represent India in the AFC Champions League as they passed the club licensing requirements.[11]

Schedule

The schedule of the competition was as follows (all draws held at AFC headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia).[12]

Phase Round Draw date First leg Second leg
Qualifying play-off Round 1 N/A 2 February 2014
Round 2 8 February 2014
Round 3 15 February 2014
Group stage Matchday 1 10 December 2013[13] 25–26 February 2014
Matchday 2 11–12 March 2014
Matchday 3 18–19 March 2014
Matchday 4 1–2 April 2014
Matchday 5 15–16 April 2014
Matchday 6 22–23 April 2014
Knock-out stage Round of 16 6–7 May 2014 13–14 May 2014
Quarter-finals 28 May 2014[14] 19–20 August 2014 26–27 August 2014
Semi-finals 16–17 September 2014 30 September–1 October 2014
Final 25 October 2014 1 November 2014

On 25 November 2013, the AFC Competitions Committee proposed to continue to play the final over two legs on a home-and-away basis (instead of reverting to playing the final as a single match as original proposed),[4][15] and to split the competition on zonal basis to guarantee an East vs West final for the next three years.[16]

Qualifying play-off

The bracket for the qualifying play-off was determined by the AFC based on the association ranking of each team, with teams from the higher-ranked associations entering at later rounds.[8] Teams from the same association may not play each other in the qualifying play-off.[17] Each tie was played as a single match, with the team from the higher-ranked association hosting the match. Extra time and penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winner if necessary. The winners of each tie in round 3 advanced to the group stage to join the 28 automatic qualifiers. All losers of each round from associations with only play-off slots entered the 2014 AFC Cup group stage.[2]

Round 1

Team 1  Score  Team 2
West Asia Zone
Al-Suwaiq Oman 0–1 Kuwait Al-Qadsia
Shabab Al-Ordon Jordan 1–3 (a.e.t.) Bahrain Al-Hidd
Al-Kuwait Kuwait 1–0 Iraq Al-Shorta
East Asia Zone
Tampines Rovers Singapore 1–2 (a.e.t.) Hong Kong South China
Pune India 0–3 Vietnam Hà Nội T&T

Round 2

Team 1  Score  Team 2
West Asia Zone
Baniyas United Arab Emirates 0–4 Kuwait Al-Qadsia
El Jaish Qatar 5–1 Uzbekistan Nasaf Qarshi
Lekhwiya Qatar 2–1 Bahrain Al-Hidd
Lokomotiv Tashkent Uzbekistan 1–3 Kuwait Al-Kuwait
East Asia Zone
Chonburi Thailand 3–0 Hong Kong South China
Muangthong United Thailand 2–0 Vietnam Hà Nội T&T

Round 3

Team 1  Score  Team 2
West Asia Zone
El Jaish Qatar 3–0 Kuwait Al-Qadsia
Lekhwiya Qatar 4–1 Kuwait Al-Kuwait
East Asia Zone
Beijing Guoan China 4–0 Thailand Chonburi
Melbourne Victory Australia 2–1 Thailand Muangthong United

Group stage

The draw for the group stage was held on 10 December 2013.[18] The 32 teams were drawn into eight groups of four. Teams from the same association could not be drawn into the same group. Each group was played on a home-and-away round-robin basis. The winners and runners-up of each group advanced to the round of 16.

Tiebreakers

The teams are ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If tied on points, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:[2]

  1. Greater number of points obtained in the group matches between the teams concerned
  2. Goal difference resulting from the group matches between the teams concerned
  3. Greater number of goals scored in the group matches between the teams concerned (away goals do not apply)
  4. Goal difference in all the group matches
  5. Greater number of goals scored in all the group matches
  6. Penalty shoot-out if only two teams are involved and they are both on the field of play
  7. Fewer score calculated according to the number of yellow and red cards received in the group matches (1 point for a single yellow card, 3 points for a red card as a consequence of two yellow cards, 3 points for a direct red card, 4 points for a yellow card followed by a direct red card)
  8. Drawing of lots

Group A

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification SHB JAZ EST RAY
1 Saudi Arabia Al-Shabab 6 5 0 1 12 8 +4 15 Advance to knockout stage — 1–3 2–1 4–3
2 United Arab Emirates Al-Jazira 6 3 1 2 12 10 +2 10 1–2 — 0–1 3–2
3 Iran Esteghlal 6 2 1 3 7 7 0 7 0–1 2–2 — 3–1
4 Qatar Al-Rayyan 6 1 0 5 9 15 −6 3 0–2 2–3 1–0 —
Source:

Group B

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification FLD BUN JSH FAT
1 Iran Foolad 6 4 2 0 11 3 +8 14 Advance to knockout stage — 1–0 3–1 1–0
2 Uzbekistan Bunyodkor 6 2 2 2 7 7 0 8[lower-alpha 1] 1–1 — 1–2 3–2
3 Qatar El Jaish 6 2 2 2 6 6 0 8[lower-alpha 1] 0–0 1–2 — 2–0
4 Saudi Arabia Al-Fateh 6 0 2 4 3 11 −8 2 1–5 0–0 0–0 —
Source:
Notes:
  1. 1 2 Tiebreakers: Bunyodkor and El-Jaish are tied on head-to-head record and overall goal difference, and so are ranked on overall goals scored.
Tiebreakers
  • Bunyodkor and El-Jaish are tied on head-to-head record and overall goal difference, and so are ranked on overall goals scored.

Group C

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification AIN ITT LEK TRA
1 United Arab Emirates Al-Ain 6 3 2 1 14 7 +7 11 Advance to knockout stage — 1–1 2–1 3–1
2 Saudi Arabia Al-Ittihad 6 3 1 2 8 6 +2 10 2–1 — 3–1 2–0
3 Qatar Lekhwiya 6 2 1 3 5 10 −5 7 0–5 2–0 — 0–0
4 Iran Tractor Sazi 6 1 2 3 4 8 −4 5 2–2 1–0 0–1 —
Source: Soccerway

Group D

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification HIL SAD AHL SEP
1 Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal 6 2 3 1 12 7 +5 9 Advance to knockout stage — 5–0 2–2 1–0
2 Qatar Al-Sadd 6 2 2 2 8 14 −6 8 2–2 — 2–1 3–1
3 United Arab Emirates Al-Ahli 6 1 4 1 6 6 0 7 0–0 1–1 — 0–0
4 Iran Sepahan 6 2 1 3 9 8 +1 7 3–2 4–0 1–2 —
Source:
Tiebreakers
  • Al-Ahli and Sepahan are ranked on head-to-head record.

Group E

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification POH CER BUR SHD
1 South Korea Pohang Steelers 6 3 3 0 11 6 +5 12 Advance to knockout stage — 1–1 0–0 2–2
2 Japan Cerezo Osaka 6 2 2 2 10 9 +1 8 0–2 — 4–0 1–3
3 Thailand Buriram United 6 1 3 2 5 9 −4 6 1–2 2–2 — 1–0
4 China Shandong Luneng Taishan 6 1 2 3 9 11 −2 5 2–4 1–2 1–1 —
Source:

Group F

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification SEO HIR BEI CCM
1 South Korea FC Seoul 6 3 2 1 9 6 +3 11 Advance to knockout stage — 2–2 2–1 2–0
2 Japan Sanfrecce Hiroshima 6 2 3 1 9 8 +1 9 2–1 — 1–1 1–0
3 China Beijing Guoan 6 1 3 2 7 8 −1 6 1–1 2–2 — 2–1
4 Australia Central Coast Mariners 6 2 0 4 4 7 −3 6 0–1 2–1 1–0 —
Source:
Tiebreakers
  • Beijing Guoan and Central Coast Mariners are tied on head-to-head record, and so are ranked by overall goal difference.

Group G

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification GUA JEO MEL YFM
1 China Guangzhou Evergrande 6 3 1 2 10 8 +2 10 Advance to knockout stage — 3–1 4–2 2–1
2 South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 6 2 2 2 8 7 +1 8 1–0 — 0–0 3–0
3 Australia Melbourne Victory 6 2 2 2 9 9 0 8 2–0 2–2 — 1–0
4 Japan Yokohama F. Marinos 6 2 1 3 7 10 −3 7 1–1 2–1 3–2 —
Source:
Tiebreakers
  • Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors and Melbourne Victory are tied on head-to-head record, and so are ranked by overall goal difference.

Group H

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification WSW KAW ULS GUI
1 Australia Western Sydney Wanderers 6 4 0 2 11 5 +6 12 Advance to knockout stage — 1–0 1–3 5–0
2 Japan Kawasaki Frontale 6 4 0 2 7 5 +2 12 2–1 — 3–1 1–0
3 South Korea Ulsan Hyundai 6 2 1 3 8 10 −2 7 0–2 2–0 — 1–1
4 China Guizhou Renhe 6 1 1 4 4 10 −6 4 0–1 0–1 3–1 —
Source:
Tiebreakers
  • Western Sydney Wanderers and Kawasaki Frontale are tied on head-to-head record, and so are ranked by overall goal difference.

Knockout stage

In the knock-out stage, the 16 teams played a single-elimination tournament, with the teams split between the two zones until the final. Each tie was played on a home-and-away two-legged basis. The away goals rule, extra time (away goals do not apply in extra time) and penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winner if necessary.[2]

Bracket

Round of 16 Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
                
South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 1 0 1
South Korea Pohang Steelers 2 1 3
South Korea Pohang Steelers 0 0 0 (0)
South Korea FC Seoul (p) 0 0 0 (3)
Japan Kawasaki Frontale 2 2 4
South Korea FC Seoul (a) 3 1 4
South Korea FC Seoul 0 0 0
Australia Western Sydney Wanderers 0 2 2
Japan Sanfrecce Hiroshima 3 0 3
Australia Western Sydney Wanderers (a) 1 2 3
Australia Western Sydney Wanderers (a) 1 1 2
China Guangzhou Evergrande 0 2 2
Japan Cerezo Osaka 1 1 2
China Guangzhou Evergrande 5 0 5
Australia Western Sydney Wanderers 1 0 1
Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal 0 0 0
Uzbekistan Bunyodkor 0 0 0
Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal 1 3 4
Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal 1 0 1
Qatar Al-Sadd 0 0 0
Qatar Al-Sadd (a) 0 2 2
Iran Foolad 0 2 2
Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal 3 1 4
United Arab Emirates Al-Ain 0 2 2
United Arab Emirates Al-Jazira 1 1 2
United Arab Emirates Al-Ain 2 2 4
United Arab Emirates Al-Ain 2 3 5
Saudi Arabia Al-Ittihad 0 1 1
Saudi Arabia Al-Ittihad 1 3 4
Saudi Arabia Al-Shabab 0 1 1

Round of 16

In the round of 16, the winners of one group played the runners-up of another group in the same zone, with the group winners hosting the second leg.[2]

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
West Zone
Al-Ittihad Saudi Arabia 4–1 Saudi Arabia Al-Shabab 1–0 3–1
Al-Jazira United Arab Emirates 2–4 United Arab Emirates Al-Ain 1–2 1–2
Al-Sadd Qatar 2–2 (a) Iran Foolad 0–0 2–2
Bunyodkor Uzbekistan 0–4 Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal 0–1 0–3
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
East Zone
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors South Korea 1–3 South Korea Pohang Steelers 1–2 0–1
Cerezo Osaka Japan 2–5 China Guangzhou Evergrande 1–5 1–0
Kawasaki Frontale Japan 4–4 (a) South Korea FC Seoul 2–3 2–1
Sanfrecce Hiroshima Japan 3–3 (a) Australia Western Sydney Wanderers 3–1 0–2

Quarter-finals

The draw for the quarter-finals was held on 28 May 2014.[19] The "country protection" rule was not applied, so teams from the same association could be drawn into the same tie.[20]

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
West Zone
Al-Hilal Saudi Arabia 1–0 Qatar Al-Sadd 1–0 0–0
Al-Ain United Arab Emirates 5–1 Saudi Arabia Al-Ittihad 2–0 3–1
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
East Zone
Pohang Steelers South Korea 0–0 (a.e.t.)
(0–3p)		 South Korea FC Seoul 0–0 0–0 (a.e.t.)
Western Sydney Wanderers Australia 2–2 (a) China Guangzhou Evergrande 1–0 1–2

Semi-finals

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
West Zone
Al-Hilal Saudi Arabia 4–2 United Arab Emirates Al-Ain 3–0 1–2
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
East Zone
FC Seoul South Korea 0–2 Australia Western Sydney Wanderers 0–0 0–2

Final

The draw to decide the order of two legs of the final was held after the quarter-final draw.[19]

Western Sydney Wanderers Australia1–0Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal
Juric 64' Report
Attendance: 20,053

Western Sydney Wanderers won 1–0 on aggregate.

Awards

Award Player Team
Most Valuable Player[21] Australia Ante Covic Australia Western Sydney Wanderers
Top Goalscorer Ghana Asamoah Gyan United Arab Emirates Al-Ain
Fair Play Award — Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal
AFC Champions League 2014 Dream Team[22]
Starting XI
Pos. Player Team
GK Australia Ante Covic Australia Western Sydney Wanderers
DF Australia Shannon Cole Australia Western Sydney Wanderers
DF Australia Nikolai Topor-Stanley Australia Western Sydney Wanderers
DF South Korea Kwak Tae-Hwi Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal
DF Saudi Arabia Abdullah Al-Zori Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal
MF Algeria Nadir Belhadj Qatar Al-Sadd
MF United Arab Emirates Omar Abdulrahman United Arab Emirates Al-Ain
MF Brazil Thiago Neves Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal
MF Brazil Elkeson China Guangzhou Evergrande
FW Ghana Asamoah Gyan United Arab Emirates Al-Ain
FW Saudi Arabia Nasser Al-Shamrani Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal
Substitutes
GK Saudi Arabia Abdullah Al-Sudairy Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal
DF South Korea Kim Ju-Young South Korea FC Seoul
DF South Korea Cha Du-Ri South Korea FC Seoul
MF South Korea Lee Myung-Joo United Arab Emirates Al-Ain
MF South Korea Yun Il-Lok South Korea FC Seoul
FW Australia Tomi Juric Australia Western Sydney Wanderers

Top scorers

Rank Player Team MD1 MD2 MD3 MD4 MD5 MD6 2R1 2R2 QF1 QF2 SF1 SF2   F1     F2   Total
1 Ghana Asamoah Gyan United Arab Emirates Al-Ain 112121211 12
2 Saudi Arabia Nasser Al-Shamrani Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal 231121 10
3 Brazil Elkeson China Guangzhou Evergrande 1221 6
Saudi Arabia Mokhtar Fallatah Saudi Arabia Al-Ittihad 21111 6
Brazil Luciano Iran Foolad 132 6
6 South Korea Kim Seung-dae South Korea Pohang Steelers 11111 5
Brazil Vágner Love China Shandong Luneng Taishan 221 5
8 Morocco Abdelaziz Barrada United Arab Emirates Al-Jazira 121 4
Algeria Nadir Belhadj Qatar Al-Sadd 1111 4
Australia Tomi Juric Australia Western Sydney Wanderers 1111 4
Japan Yoichiro Kakitani Japan Cerezo Osaka 1111 4
Brazil Thiago Neves Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal 121 4
Brazil Nilmar Qatar El Jaish 211 4
Iran Mehdi Sharifi Iran Sepahan 112 4
Nigeria Kalu Uche Qatar Al-Rayyan 112 4

Note: Goals scored in qualifying play-off not counted (see regulations, Article 74c).[23]

Source:[24][25]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Western Sydney Wanderers win AFC Champions League on aggregate". AFC. 2 November 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "AFC Champions League 2014 Competition Regulations" (PDF). AFC.
  3. ↑ "ACL Slots Decisions By Exco pt. 2" (PDF). AFC.
  4. 1 2 "ACL base widened from 2014". AFC. 12 March 2013.
  5. ↑ "AFC MA Ranking by Technical Standard" (PDF). AFC.
  6. ↑ "Manual for points systems & decision method for AFC Champions League participation". AFC. 15 March 2013.
  7. ↑ "AFC ExCo okays ACL slots, format". AFC. 26 November 2013.
  8. 1 2 3 "AFC Champions League 2014 and AFC Cup 2014 Competition Format – AFC Champions League & AFC Cup Play-off" (PDF). Asian Football Confederation. Vietnam Professional Football. 28 November 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 December 2013. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
  9. ↑ الفهد وعقلة يطالبان الجماهير بالوقوف مع "الأصفر" و"الأبيض" للظفر ببطاقتي التأهل إلى دوري الأبطال (in Arabic). Al Rai. 27 November 2013. Archived from the original on 2013-12-03. Retrieved 2013-12-01.
  10. ↑ "Bahrain get AFC Champions League qualifying slot". Gulf Daily News. 29 November 2013.
  11. ↑ "Pune FC to play AFC Champions League play-off". Goal.com. 26 November 2013.
  12. ↑ "AFC Calendar of Competitions 2014" (PDF). AFC.
  13. ↑ "Media accreditation open for Official Draws of 2014 AFC Champions League and AFC Cup". International Sports Press Association. 20 November 2013.
  14. ↑ "Dates set for AFC Champions League and AFC Cup 2014 Official Draw". International Sports Press Association. 26 April 2014.
  15. ↑ "Focus on ACL stability". AFC. 10 March 2013.
  16. ↑ "ACL: East vs West final proposed". AFC. 25 November 2013.
  17. ↑ "ACL Playoff Picture complete". AFC. 10 December 2013.
  18. ↑ "AFC Champions League 2014 Group Stage draw". AFC. 10 December 2013.
  19. 1 2 "Holders Guangzhou face Australian debutants". AFC. 28 May 2014.
  20. ↑ "ACL 2014 KO Stage Draw Mechanics" (PDF). AFC.
  21. ↑ "Custodian Covic named Most Valuable Player". AFC. 2 November 2014.
  22. ↑ John Greco (11 November 2014). "Four Wanderers in ACL Dream Team". Football Federation Australia. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  23. ↑ "Top Goal Scorers (by Stage) – 2014 AFC Champions League Play-off". AFC.com.
  24. ↑ "Top Goal Scorers (by Stage) – 2014 AFC Champions League Group Stage". AFC.com.
  25. ↑ "Top Goal Scorers (by Stage) – 2014 AFC Champions League Knock-out Stage". AFC.com.
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