2018 AFC Champions League explained

Tourney Name:AFC Champions League
Year:2018
Dates:Qualifying:
16–30 January 2018
Competition proper:
Num Teams:Competition proper: 32
Total: 46
Associations:20
Champion Other: Kashima Antlers
Count:1
Second Other: Persepolis
Matches:126
Goals:364
Player: Yuma Suzuki
Fair Play: Persepolis
Prevseason:2017
Nextseason:2019

The 2018 AFC Champions League was the 37th edition of Asia's premier club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the 16th under the current AFC Champions League title.

Kashima Antlers won the title for the first time, defeating Persepolis in the final, and qualified as the AFC representative at the 2018 FIFA Club World Cup in the United Arab Emirates.[1]

Urawa Red Diamonds were the title holders, but they were unable to defend their title as they finished seventh in the 2017 J1 League and were eliminated in the fourth round of the 2017 Emperor's Cup, thus did not qualify for the tournament. It marked the second season in a row without title holders after Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors were disqualified in 2017 as a result of their involvement in a match-fixing scandal in 2016.

Association team allocation

The AFC Competitions Committee proposed a revamp of the AFC club competitions on 25 January 2014,[2] which was ratified by the AFC Executive Committee on 16 April 2014.[3] The 46 AFC member associations (excluding the associate member Northern Mariana Islands) are 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 2017 and 2018 editions of the AFC club competitions determined by the 2016 AFC rankings (Entry Manual Article 2.2):[4]

For the 2018 AFC Champions League, the associations are allocated slots according to their association ranking published on 30 November 2016,[5] which takes 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 2013 and 2016.[4] [6]

bgcolor=#f7f8ff colspan=2Participation for 2018 AFC Champions League
bgcolor=#90ee77 width=20Participating
bgcolor=#ffcccc width=20Not participating
+West Region
RankMember
Association		PointsSlots
Group
stage		Play-off
12 United Arab Emirates87.5553100
23 Saudi Arabia84.6982000
34 Iran78.9083100
45 Qatar78.1713100
59 Uzbekistan56.8761200
610 Iraq37.2400000
711 Kuwait36.4570000
813 Syria34.2570000
915 Jordan31.2130100
1018 India27.9300100
1119 Bahrain27.3530100
1220 Lebanon22.0770000
Total12800
8
20
+East Region
RankMember
Association		PointsSlots
Group
stage		Play-off
11 South Korea96.3113100
26 Japan75.8073100
37 China72.7192200
48 Australia72.5992010
512 Thailand34.7531020
614 Hong Kong31.7971010
716 Vietnam29.2730010
817 Malaysia28.8650010
921 Indonesia20.3720001
1024 Myanmar17.2200001
1125 Philippines17.1880001
1227 Singapore13.6640001
Total12464
14
26
Notes

Teams

The following 46 teams from 20 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.

+Group stage direct entrants (Groups A–D)
width=25%Teamwidth=60%Qualifying methodwidth=15%App
Al-Jazira2016–17 UAE Pro-League champions10th
Al-Wahda2016–17 UAE President's Cup winners9th
Al-Wasl2016–17 UAE Pro-League runners-up2nd
Al-Hilal2016–17 Saudi Professional League champions and 2017 King Cup winners14th
Al-Ahli2016–17 Saudi Professional League runners-up10th
Persepolis2016–17 Persian Gulf Pro League champions and 2017 Iranian Super Cup winners 7th
Esteghlal2016–17 Persian Gulf Pro League runners-up9th
Tractor2016–17 Persian Gulf Pro League 3rd place5th
Al-Duhail2016–17 Qatar Stars League champions7th
Al-Sadd2017 Emir of Qatar Cup winners
2016–17 Qatar Stars League runners-up		13th
Al-Rayyan2016–17 Qatar Stars League 3rd place8th
Lokomotiv Tashkent2017 Uzbek League champions and 2017 Uzbekistan Cup winners6th
Qualifying play-off participants: Entering in play-off round
width=25%Teamwidth=60%Qualifying methodwidth=15%App
Al-Ain2016–17 UAE Pro-League 4th place13th
Zob Ahan2016–17 Persian Gulf Pro League 4th place7th
Al-Gharafa2016–17 Qatar Stars League 5th place9th
Nasaf Qarshi2017 Uzbek League runners-up6th
Pakhtakor2017 Uzbek League 3rd place14th
Al-Faisaly2016–17 Jordan League champions2nd
Aizawl2016–17 I-League champions1st
Malkiya2016–17 Bahrain First Division League champions1st
+Group stage direct entrants (Groups E–H)
width=25%Teamwidth=60%Qualifying methodwidth=15%App
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors2017 K League Classic champions11th
Ulsan Hyundai2017 Korean FA Cup winners6th
Jeju United2017 K League Classic runners-up3rd
Kawasaki Frontale2017 J1 League champions6th
Cerezo Osaka2017 Emperor's Cup winners
2017 J1 League 3rd place		3rd
Kashima Antlers2017 J1 League runners-up 8th
Guangzhou Evergrande2017 Chinese Super League champions7th
Shanghai Shenhua2017 Chinese FA Cup winners8th
Sydney FC2016–17 A-League premiers and 2017 A-League Grand Final winners4th
Melbourne Victory2016–17 A-League regular season runners-up6th
Buriram United2017 Thai League T1 champions7th
Kitchee2016–17 Hong Kong Premier League champions4th
Qualifying play-off participants: Entering in play-off round
width=25%Teamwidth=60%Qualifying methodwidth=15%App
Suwon Samsung Bluewings2017 K League Classic 3rd place9th
Kashiwa Reysol2017 J1 League 4th place4th
Shanghai SIPG2017 Chinese Super League runners-up3rd
Tianjin Quanjian2017 Chinese Super League 3rd place1st
Qualifying play-off participants: Entering in preliminary round 2
width=25%Teamwidth=60%Qualifying methodwidth=15%App
Brisbane Roar2016–17 A-League regular season 3rd place5th
Chiangrai United2017 Thai FA Cup winners1st
Muangthong United2017 Thai League T1 runners-up7th
Eastern2016–17 Hong Kong season play-off winners2nd
FLC Thanh Hóa2017 V.League 1 runners-up1st
Johor Darul Ta'zim2017 Malaysia Super League champions4th
Qualifying play-off participants: Entering in preliminary round 1
width=25%Teamwidth=60%Qualifying methodwidth=15%App
Bali United2017 Liga 1 runners-up1st
Shan United2017 Myanmar National League champions1st
Ceres–Negros2017 Philippines Football League champions 1st
Tampines Rovers2017 S.League runners-up4th
Notes

Schedule

The schedule of the competition was as follows.[7]

StageRoundDraw dateFirst legSecond leg
Preliminary stagePreliminary round 1No draw16 January 2018
Preliminary round 223 January 2018
Play-off stagePlay-off round30 January 2018
Group stageMatchday 16 December 201712–14 February 2018
Matchday 219–21 February 2018
Matchday 35–7 March 2018
Matchday 412–14 March 2018
Matchday 52–4 April 2018
Matchday 616–18 April 2018
Knockout stageRound of 167–9 May 201814–16 May 2018
Quarter-finals23 May 201827–29 August 201817–19 September 2018
Semi-finals2–3 October 201823–24 October 2018
Final3 November 201810 November 2018

Qualifying play-offs

See main article: 2018 AFC Champions League qualifying play-offs.

Play-off round

Group stage

See main article: 2018 AFC Champions League group stage.

Group H

Knockout stage

See main article: 2018 AFC Champions League knockout stage.

Final

Awards

Main awards

AwardPlayerTeam
Most Valuable Player[8] Yuma Suzuki Kashima Antlers
Top Goalscorer[9] Baghdad Bounedjah Al-Sadd
Fair Play Award— Persepolis
Best Goal[10] Cheng Chin Lung Kitchee

All-Star Squad

Source:[11]

PositionPlayerTeam
Goalkeeper Kwoun Sun-tae Kashima Antlers
Alireza Beiranvand Persepolis
Shin Hwa-yong Suwon Samsung Bluewings
align=center rowspan=5Defenders Abdelkarim Hassan Al-Sadd
Rouzbeh Cheshmi Esteghlal
Gen Shoji Kashima Antlers
Jalal Hosseini Persepolis
Jung Seung-hyun Kashima Antlers
align=center rowspan=8Midfielders Nam Tae-hee Al-Duhail
Léo Silva Kashima Antlers
Xavi Al-Sadd
Kamal Kamyabinia Persepolis
Kento Misao Kashima Antlers
Bashar Resan Persepolis
Park Jong-woo Suwon Samsung Bluewings
Elvis Sarić Suwon Samsung Bluewings
align=center rowspan=8Forwards Yuma Suzuki Kashima Antlers
Godwin Mensha Persepolis
Serginho Kashima Antlers
Kim Shin-wook Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
Ali Alipour Persepolis
Alexandre Pato Tianjin Quanjian
Dejan Damjanović Suwon Samsung Bluewings
Baghdad Bounedjah Al-Sadd

Opta Best XI

Source:[12]

PositionPlayerTeam
Goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand Persepolis
align=center rowspan=4Defenders Li Xuepeng Guangzhou Evergrande
Shoja' Khalilzadeh Persepolis
Jalal Hosseini Persepolis
Lee Yong Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
align=center rowspan=3Midfielders Ricardo Goulart Guangzhou Evergrande
Xavi Al-Sadd
Serginho Kashima Antlers
align=center rowspan=3Forwards Dejan Damjanović Suwon Samsung Bluewings
Baghdad Bounedjah Al-Sadd
Youssef El-Arabi Al-Duhail

Fans' Best XI

Source:[12]

PositionPlayerTeam
Goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand Persepolis
align=center rowspan=4Defenders Abdelkarim Hassan Al-Sadd
Shoja' Khalilzadeh Persepolis
Ró-Ró Al-Sadd
Voria Ghafouri Esteghlal
align=center rowspan=3Midfielders Farshid Esmaeili Esteghlal
Xavi Al-Sadd
Siamak Nemati Persepolis
align=center rowspan=3Forwards Ali Alipour Persepolis
Baghdad Bounedjah Al-Sadd
Mame Baba Thiam Esteghlal

Top scorers

RankPlayerTeam    Total
1 Baghdad Bounedjah Al-Sadd2212221113
2 Dejan Damjanović Suwon Samsung Bluewings21112119
Youssef El-Arabi Al-Duhail22212
4 Mame Baba Thiam Esteghlal12137
Ricardo Goulart Guangzhou Evergrande142
6 Marcus Berg Al-Ain11226
Kim Shin-wook Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors3111
111111
9 Adriano Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors3115
Morteza Tabrizi Zob Ahan (GS & R16)
Esteghlal (QF)		1211
Serginho Kashima Antlers11111
Ali Mabkhout Al-Jazira1121
Muhannad Assiri Al-Ahli11111
Mehdi Taremi Al-Gharafa1211
Ali Alipour Persepolis2111

Player of the week awards

MatchdayToyota Player of the Week
PlayerTeam
Group stage
Matchday 1[13] Leroy George Melbourne Victory
Matchday 2[14] Oscar Shanghai SIPG
Matchday 3[15] Ricardo Goulart Guangzhou Evergrande
Matchday 4[16] Ali Khasif Al-Jazira
Matchday 5[17] Mislav Oršić Ulsan Hyundai
Matchday 6[18] Alan Guangzhou Evergrande
Knockout stage
Round of 16 1st leg[19] Edgar Buriram United
Round of 16 2nd leg[20] Mame Baba Thiam Esteghlal
Quarter-finals 1st leg[21] Dejan Damjanović Suwon Samsung Bluewings
Quarter-finals 2nd leg[22] Akram Afif Al-Sadd
Semi-finals 1st leg[23] Alireza Beiranvand Persepolis
Semi-finals 2nd leg[24] Dejan Damjanović Suwon Samsung Bluewings
Final 1st leg[25] Serginho Kashima Antlers
Final 2nd leg[26] Kwoun Sun-tae Kashima Antlers

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2018 AFC Champions League Competition Regulations. AFC. PDF.
  2. Web site: Revamp of AFC competitions. AFC. 25 January 2014.
  3. Web site: ExCo approves expanded AFC Asian Cup finals. AFC. 16 April 2014.
  4. Web site: Entry Manual: AFC Club Competitions 2017–2020. AFC. PDF.
  5. Web site: AFC MA Ranking (as of 30 November 2016). AFC. PDF.
  6. Web site: AFC Club Competitions Ranking Mechanics (2016 version). AFC.
  7. Web site: AFC Competitions Calendar 2018. AFC. 11 January 2018.
  8. News: Yuma Suzuki of Kashima named 2018 MVP. AFC. 10 November 2018.
  9. News: Al Sadd's Bounedjah bags Top Scorer Award. AFC. 10 November 2018.
  10. News: Kitchee's Cheng winner of Best #ACL2018 Goal. AFC. 22 November 2018.
  11. Web site: AFC Champions League 2018 Technical Report . AFC . 2022-05-12.
  12. News: The Best ACL2018 XI announced!. AFC. 9 August 2020. 30 October 2020.
  13. Web site: ACL2018 MD1 Toyota Player of the Week: Leroy George. AFC. 15 February 2018.
  14. Web site: ACL2018 MD2 Toyota Player of the Week: Oscar. AFC. 23 February 2018.
  15. Web site: ACL2018 MD3 Toyota Player of the Week: Ricardo Goulart. AFC. 8 March 2018.
  16. Web site: ACL2018 MD4 Toyota Player of the Week: Ali Khaseif. AFC. 16 March 2018.
  17. Web site: ACL2018 MD5 Toyota Player of the Week: Mislav Orsic. AFC. 6 April 2018.
  18. Web site: ACL2018 MD6 Toyota Player of the Week: Alan. AFC. 20 April 2018.
  19. Web site: ACL2018 Round of 16 First Leg Toyota Player of the Week: Edgar. AFC. 11 May 2018.
  20. Web site: Round of 16, Second Leg Toyota Player of the Week: Mame Thiam. AFC. 18 May 2018.
  21. Web site: Quarter-final, First Leg Toyota Player of the Week: Dejan Damjanovic. AFC. 30 August 2018.
  22. Web site: Quarter-final, Second Leg Toyota Player of the Week: Akram Afif. AFC. 20 September 2018.
  23. Web site: Semi-Final, First Leg Toyota Player of the Week: Alireza Beiranvand. AFC. 5 October 2018.
  24. Web site: Semi-finals, Second Leg Toyota Player of the Week: Dejan Damjanovic. AFC. 26 October 2018.
  25. Web site: Final, First Leg Toyota Player of the Week: Serginho. AFC. November 2018.
  26. Web site: Final, 2nd Leg Toyota Player of the Week: Kwoun Sun-tae. AFC. 17 November 2018.

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