2013 AFC Champions League explained

Tourney Name:AFC Champions League
Year:2013
Num Teams:35
Associations:10
Count:1
Second Other: FC Seoul
Matches:126
Goals:342
Top Scorer: Muriqui
(13 goals)
Player: Muriqui
Prevseason:2012
Nextseason:2014

The 2013 AFC Champions League was the 32nd edition of the top-level Asian club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the 11th under the current AFC Champions League title. The defending champions, Ulsan Hyundai, failed to qualify for the tournament.

In the final, Chinese team Guangzhou Evergrande defeated South Korean team FC Seoul on away goals to win their first title,[1] becoming the first Chinese team to win the AFC Champions League (and the second Chinese team to be crowned Asian club champions after Liaoning FC and Third Final of Chinese team after Liaoning F.C. lost against Esteghlal F.C. of Iran at 1990–91 AFC Club Championship, and qualified for the 2013 FIFA Club World Cup.[2]

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 2012, and the final decision to be made by the AFC in November 2012.[3]

The following criteria for participation in the AFC Champions League were proposed by the AFC in July 2012:[4]

On 29 November 2012, the AFC Executive Committee approved the slots for the 2013 edition of the AFC Champions League. However, this final allocation of slots did not fully follow the proposal above.[5]

bgcolor=#f7f8ff colspan=2Evaluation for 2013 AFC Champions League
bgcolor=#90EE77 width=20Fulfills criteria (> 600 points)
bgcolor=#ccffff width=20Does not fulfill criteria, but allocated slots
bgcolor=#ffcccc width=20Does not fulfill criteria, not allocated slots
+West Zone
RankMember
Association
PointsSlots
width=15%Group stagewidth=15%Play-off
1 Saudi Arabia860.540
2 Qatar838.240
3 Iran813.531
4 United Arab Emirates750.222
5 Uzbekistan680.821
6 India−106.400
7 Jordan−128.700
Total144
+East Zone
RankMember
Association
PointsSlots
width=15%Group stagewidth=15%Play-off
1 Japan946.840
2 South Korea886.640
3 China PR796.740
4 Australia567.011
5 Thailand177.211
6 Singapore−135.100
7 Vietnam−815.700
Total152
Notes

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.

+West Zone
TeamQualifying methodAppLast App
Group stage direct entrants (Groups A–D)
Al-Shabab2011–12 Saudi Professional League champions7th2011
Al-Ahli2012 King Cup of Champions winners
2011–12 Saudi Professional League runners-up
6th2012
Al-Hilal2011–12 Saudi Professional League 3rd place9th2012
Al-Ettifaq2011–12 Saudi Professional League 4th place3rd2012
Lekhwiya2011–12 Qatar Stars League champions2nd2012
Al-Gharafa2012 Emir of Qatar Cup winners8th2012
El Jaish2011–12 Qatar Stars League runners-up1stnone
Al-Rayyan2011–12 Qatar Stars League 3rd place5th2012
Sepahan2011–12 Iran Pro League champions9th2012
Esteghlal2011–12 Hazfi Cup winners
2011–12 Iran Pro League 3rd place
6th2012
Tractor2011–12 Iran Pro League runners-up1stnone
Al-Ain2011–12 UAE Pro-League champions8th2011
Al-Jazira2011–12 UAE President's Cup winners5th2012
Pakhtakor2012 Uzbek League champions11th2012
Qualifying play-off participants
Saba Qom2011–12 Iran Pro League 4th place3rd2009
Al-Nasr2011–12 UAE Pro-League runners-up2nd2012
Al-Shabab Al-Arabi2011–12 UAE Pro-League 3rd place3rd2012
Lokomotiv Tashkent2012 Uzbek League 3rd place1stnone
+East Zone
TeamQualifying methodAppLast App
Group stage direct entrants (Groups E–H)
Sanfrecce Hiroshima2012 J. League Division 1 champions2nd2010
Kashiwa Reysol2012 Emperor's Cup winners2nd2012
Vegalta Sendai2012 J. League Division 1 runners-up1stnone
Urawa Red Diamonds2012 J. League Division 1 3rd place3rd2008
FC Seoul2012 K-League champions3rd2011
Pohang Steelers2012 Korean FA Cup winners
2012 K-League 3rd place
5th2012
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors2012 K-League runners-up7th2012
Suwon Samsung Bluewings2012 K-League 4th place5th2011
Guangzhou Evergrande2012 Chinese Super League champions
2012 Chinese FA Cup winners
2nd2012
Jiangsu Sainty2012 Chinese Super League runners-up1stnone
Beijing Guoan2012 Chinese Super League 3rd place5th2012
Guizhou Renhe2012 Chinese Super League 4th place1stnone
Bunyodkor2012 Uzbekistan Cup winners
2012 Uzbek League runners-up
6th2012
Central Coast Mariners2011–12 A-League premiers3rd2012
Muangthong United2012 Thai Premier League champions3rd2011
Qualifying play-off participants
Brisbane Roar2012 A-League Grand Final winners2nd2012
Buriram United2012 Thai FA Cup winners3rd2012

Schedule

The schedule of the competition was as follows (all draws held at AFC headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia).[6]

PhaseRoundDraw dateFirst legSecond leg
Qualifying play-offRound 16 December 20129 February 2013
Group stageMatchday 126–27 February 2013
Matchday 212–13 March 2013
Matchday 32–3 April 2013
Matchday 49–10 April 2013
Matchday 523–24 April 2013
Matchday 630 April–1 May 2013
Knock-out stageRound of 1614–15 May 201321–22 May 2013
Quarter-finals20 June 201321 August 201318 September 2013
Semi-finals25 September 20132 October 2013
Final25 or 26 October 20138 or 9 November 2013

Format changes

The following changes in the format of the competition were made compared with the previous year:

Qualifying play-off

See main article: 2013 AFC Champions League qualifying play-off.

The draw for the qualifying play-off was held on 6 December 2012.[9] Each tie was played as a single match, with extra time and penalty shoot-out used to decide the winner if necessary. The winners of each tie advanced to the group stage to join the 29 automatic qualifiers.[2]

|-!colspan=3|West Zone|-!colspan=3|East Zone|}

Notes

Group stage

See main article: 2013 AFC Champions League group stage.

The draw for the group stage was held on 6 December 2012.[9] 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.

TiebreakersThe teams are ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a tie, 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 B

Tiebreakers

Group E

Tiebreakers

Group F

Tiebreakers

Group H

Knockout stage

See main article: 2013 AFC Champions League knock-out stage.

In the knock-out stage, the 16 teams played a single-elimination tournament. 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]

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]

Quarter-finals

The draw for the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final (to decide the order of two legs) was held on 20 June 2013.[10] In this draw, teams from different zones could play each other, and the "country protection" rule was applied: if there are exactly two teams from the same association, they may not play each other in the quarter-finals; however, if there are more than two teams from the same association, they may play each other in the quarter-finals.

Final

See main article: 2013 AFC Champions League Final.

Awards

AwardPlayerTeam
Most Valuable Player[11] Muriqui Guangzhou Evergrande
Top Goalscorer[12] Muriqui Guangzhou Evergrande
+AFC Champions League 2013 Dream Team[13]
Starting XI
Pos.PlayerTeam
GK Kim Yong-Dae FC Seoul
DF Zhang Linpeng Guangzhou Evergrande
DF Hanif Omranzadeh Esteghlal
DF Daisuke Suzuki Kashiwa Reysol
DF Sun Xiang Guangzhou Evergrande
MF Zheng Zhi Guangzhou Evergrande
MF Darío Conca Guangzhou Evergrande
MF Javad Nekounam Esteghlal
FW Muriqui Guangzhou Evergrande
FW Dejan Damjanović FC Seoul
FW Elkeson Guangzhou Evergrande
Substitutes
GK Takanori Sugeno Kashiwa Reysol
DF Kwak Tae-Hwi Al-Shabab
DF Theeraton Bunmathan Buriram United
DF Kim Jin-Kyu FC Seoul
MF Ha Dae-Sung FC Seoul
MF Jorge Wagner Kashiwa Reysol
FW Masato Kudo Kashiwa Reysol

Top scorers

RankPlayerTeamTotal
1 Muriqui Guangzhou Evergrande111211112213
2 Darío Conca Guangzhou Evergrande2111218
3 Dejan Damjanović FC Seoul2111117
Wagner Ribeiro El Jaish2237
5 Elkeson Guangzhou Evergrande121116
Masato Kudo Kashiwa Reysol211116
7 Mustafa Al-Bassas Al-Ahli1214
Amad Al Hosni Al-Ahli2114
Djibril Cissé Al-Gharafa2114
Edgar Al-Shabab Al-Arabi11114
Youssef Msakni Lekhwiya11114
Sebastián Soria Lekhwiya1214
Sebastián Tagliabué Al-Shabab1124
Yun Il-Lok FC Seoul2114

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Guangzhou win 2013 AFC Champions League . 9 November 2013 . AFC . 9 November 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20131109205109/http://www.the-afc.com/en/acl-news/acl-all-news/27179-guangzhou-win-acl-091113.html . 9 November 2013 .
  2. Web site: AFC Champions League 2013 Competition Regulations . AFC . PDF . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130302032353/http://www.the-afc.com/en/component/jdownloads/finish/64/52.html . 2 March 2013 . PDF .
  3. Web site: Decision by Competitions Committee & Executive Committee for AFC Club Competitions. AFC. PDF.
  4. Web site: New direction for AFC club action. AFC. 17 July 2012.
  5. Web site: ACL 2013 Slot Allocation. AFC. 4 December 2012. PDF.
  6. Web site: AFC Calendar of Competitions 2013. AFC. PDF.
  7. Web site: Solidarity marks AFC ExCo meeting. AFC. 29 November 2012.
  8. Web site: Maldives to host 2014 AFC Challenge Cup. AFC. 28 November 2012.
  9. Web site: ACL 2013 – Group Stage Draw. AFC. 6 December 2012.
  10. Web site: Al Ahli renew Korean acquaintances in quarter-finals. AFC. 20 June 2013.
  11. Web site: Triple delight for Muriqui . AFC . 10 November 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20131109205114/http://www.the-afc.com/en/acl-news/acl-all-news/27183-triple-delight-muriqui.html . 9 November 2013 . dmy .
  12. Web site: Triple delight for Yanto Basna . AFC . 10 November 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20131109205114/http://www.the-afc.com/en/acl-news/acl-all-news/27183-triple-delight-muriqui.html . 9 November 2013 . dmy .
  13. Web site: AFC Champions League 2013 Dream Team. AFC Champions League (Official) Facebook Page. 15 November 2013.