2016 AFC Champions League
Tournament details | |
---|---|
Dates | 27 January – 26 November 2016 |
Teams | 45 (from 17 associations) |
Final positions | |
Champions | South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (2nd title) |
Runners-up | United Arab Emirates Al-Ain |
Tournament statistics | |
Matches played | 126 |
Goals scored | 312 (2.48 per match) |
Attendance | 1,639,885 (13,015 per match) |
Top scorer(s) | Brazil Adriano (13 goals) |
Best player(s) | United Arab Emirates Omar Abdulrahman |
Fair play award | United Arab Emirates Al-Ain |
← 2015 2017 → |
The 2016 AFC Champions League was the 35th edition of Asia's premier club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the 14th under the current AFC Champions League title. Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors defeated Al-Ain in the final to win their second AFC Champions League title, and qualified as the AFC representative at the 2016 FIFA Club World Cup in Japan, their second appearance in the FIFA Club World Cup.[1][2] Guangzhou Evergrande were the defending champions, but were eliminated in the group stage.
Association team allocation
The AFC Competitions Committee proposed a revamp of the AFC club competitions on 25 January 2014,[3] which was ratified by the AFC Executive Committee on 16 April 2014.[4] 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 2015 and 2016 editions of the AFC club competitions determined by the 2014 rankings:[5]
- The associations are split into West Zone and East Zone, with 23 associations in each zone:
- West Zone consists of the associations from West Asia, Central Asia, South Asia, except India and Maldives
- East Zone consists of the associations from ASEAN and East Asia, plus India and Maldives
- In each zone, there are a total of 12 direct slots in the group stage, with the 4 remaining slots filled through play-offs.
- The top 12 associations in each zone as per the AFC rankings are eligible to enter the AFC Champions League, as long as they fulfill the AFC Champions League criteria.
- The top six associations in each zone get at least one direct slot in the group stage, while the remaining associations get only play-off slots:
- The associations ranked 1st and 2nd each get three direct slots and one play-off slot (in play-off round).
- The associations ranked 3rd and 4th each get two direct slots and two play-off slots (one in play-off round, one in preliminary round 2).
- The associations ranked 5th each get one direct slot and two play-off slots (both in preliminary round 2).
- The associations ranked 6th each get one direct slot and one play-off slot (in preliminary round 2).
- The associations ranked 7th to 12th each get one play-off slot (in preliminary round 1).
- The maximum number of slots for each association 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 Competitions Committee finalised the slot allocation for the 2015 and 2016 editions of the AFC Champions League based on the criteria, including the AFC rankings and the implementation of club licensing regulations, on 28 November 2014.[6][7][8] The following table shows the slot allocation for the 2016 AFC Champions League, which are adjusted accordingly since some of the slots are unused.
Participation for 2016 AFC Champions League[9] | |
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Fulfills participation criteria | |
Does not fulfill participation criteria |
|
|
- Notes
- ^ United Arab Emirates had their fourth team entering the play-off round instead of the preliminary round 2 due to unused slots.
- ^ Qatar had their third and fourth teams entering the play-off round instead of the preliminary round 2 due to unused slots.
- ^ Iraq were allocated two preliminary round 2 slots, but were not allowed to participate as none of their teams passed the club licensing requirements.
- ^ Kuwait were allocated one preliminary round 1 slot, but could not participate due to FIFA's suspension of its football association.
- ^ Jordan had their team entering the play-off round instead of the preliminary round 1 due to unused slots.
- ^ a b c d Oman, Bahrain, Lebanon and Syria were allocated one preliminary round 1 slot, but were not allowed to participate as none of their teams passed the club licensing requirements.
- ^ Indonesia were allocated one preliminary round 2 slot, could not participate in the AFC Champions League due to FIFA's suspension of its football association.
- ^ a b Myanmar and Malaysia had their team entering the preliminary round 2 instead of the preliminary round 1 due to unused slots.
Teams
The following 45 teams from 17 associations entered the competition.[9] 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
- ^ China (CHN): Jiangsu Suning had its name changed from "Jiangsu Sainty" in December 2015. They are referred to as "Jiangsu FC" by the AFC in its official reports for the 2016 AFC Champions League.
- ^ Singapore (SIN): Since Brunei DPMM, the 2015 S.League champions, is a team managed by the National Football Association of Brunei Darussalam and thus ineligible to represent Singapore in AFC club competitions, their place was taken by Tampines Rovers, the league runners-up.
- ^ Thailand (THA): Since Suphanburi, the 2015 Thai Premier League 3rd place, failed to pass the club licensing requirements, their place was taken by Chonburi, the league 4th place.[10]
Schedule
The schedule of the competition is as follows (all draws are held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia).[11]
Stage | Round | Draw date | First leg | Second leg |
---|---|---|---|---|
Preliminary stage | Preliminary round 1 | No draw | 27 January 2016 | |
Preliminary round 2 | 2 February 2016 | |||
Play-off stage | Play-off round | 9 February 2016 | ||
Group stage | Matchday 1 | 10 December 2015[9] | 23–24 February 2016 | |
Matchday 2 | 1–2 March 2016 | |||
Matchday 3 | 15–16 March 2016 | |||
Matchday 4 | 5–6 April 2016 | |||
Matchday 5 | 19–20 April 2016 | |||
Matchday 6 | 3–4 May 2016 | |||
Knockout stage | Round of 16 | 17–18 May 2016 | 24–25 May 2016 | |
Quarter-finals | 9 June 2016[12] | 23–24 August 2016 | 13–14 September 2016 | |
Semi-finals | 27–28 September 2016 | 18–19 October 2016 | ||
Final | 19 November 2016 | 26 November 2016 |
Qualifying play-off
{{#lst:2016 AFC Champions League qualifying play-off|Format}} {{#lst:2016 AFC Champions League qualifying play-off|Bracket}}
Preliminary round 1
{{#lst:2016 AFC Champions League qualifying play-off|Preliminary round 1}}
Preliminary round 2
{{#lst:2016 AFC Champions League qualifying play-off|Preliminary round 2}}
Play-off round
{{#lst:2016 AFC Champions League qualifying play-off|Play-off round}}
Group stage
The draw for the group stage was held on 10 December 2015, 16:00 MYT (UTC+8), at the Petaling Jaya Hilton Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.[9] The 32 teams were drawn into eight groups of four. Teams from the same association could not be drawn into the same group.[13][14] In the group stage, 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.[2]
Tiebreakers |
---|
The teams were ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If tied on points, tiebreakers would be applied in the following order (Regulations Article 11.5):[2]
|
Group A
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | LOK | NAS | ITT | SEP | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Uzbekistan Lokomotiv Tashkent | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 10 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | |
2 | United Arab Emirates Al-Nasr | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 9 | 1–1 | — | 0–0 | 2–0 | ||
3 | Saudi Arabia Al-Ittihad | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 4 | +5 | 9 | 1–1 | 1–2 | — | 4–0 | ||
4 | Iran Sepahan | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 11 | −9 | 3 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 0–2 | — |
Group B
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | ZOB | LEK | NSR | BYD | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Iran Zob Ahan | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 2 | +10 | 14 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 0–0 | 3–0 | 5–2 | |
2 | Qatar Lekhwiya | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 2 | +5 | 9 | 0–1 | — | 4–0 | 0–0 | ||
3 | Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 14 | −9 | 5 | 0–3 | 1–1 | — | 3–3 | ||
4 | Uzbekistan Bunyodkor | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 11 | −6 | 3 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 0–1 | — |
Group C
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | TRA | HIL | PAK | JAZ | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Iran Tractor Sazi | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 3 | +7 | 12 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 1–2 | 2–0 | 4–0 | |
2 | Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 7 | +3 | 11 | 0–2 | — | 4–1 | 1–0 | ||
3 | Uzbekistan Pakhtakor | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 9 | +1 | 10 | 1–0 | 2–2 | — | 3–0 | ||
4 | United Arab Emirates Al-Jazira | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 13 | −11 | 1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–3 | — |
Group D
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | JSH | AIN | AHL | NSF | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Qatar El Jaish | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 8 | −2 | 10 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 2–1 | 1–4 | 1–0 | |
2 | United Arab Emirates Al-Ain | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 6 | +2 | 10 | 1–2 | — | 1–0 | 2–0 | ||
3 | Saudi Arabia Al-Ahli | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 7 | +3 | 9 | 2–0 | 1–2 | — | 2–1 | ||
4 | Uzbekistan Nasaf Qarshi | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 7 | −3 | 5 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | — |
Group E
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | JHM | TOK | JIA | BBD | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 9 | +4 | 10 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 2–1 | 2–2 | 2–0 | |
2 | Japan FC Tokyo | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 10 | 0–3 | — | 0–0 | 3–1 | ||
3 | China Jiangsu Suning | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 7 | +3 | 9 | 3–2 | 1–2 | — | 3–0 | ||
4 | Vietnam Becamex Binh Duong | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 13 | −7 | 4 | 3–2 | 1–2 | 1–1 | — |
Group F
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | SEO | SHD | HIR | BUR | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | South Korea FC Seoul | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 17 | 5 | +12 | 13 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 0–0 | 4–1 | 2–1 | |
2 | China Shandong Luneng | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 11 | 1–4 | — | 1–0 | 3–0 | ||
3 | Japan Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 8 | +1 | 9 | 2–1 | 1–2 | — | 3–0 | ||
4 | Thailand Buriram United | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 16 | −15 | 1 | 0–6 | 0–0 | 0–2 | — |
Group G
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | SSI | MEL | SSB | GAM | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | China Shanghai SIPG | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 8 | +2 | 12 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 3–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | |
2 | Australia Melbourne Victory | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 9[lower-alpha 1] | 2–1 | — | 0–0 | 2–1 | ||
3 | South Korea Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 4 | +3 | 9[lower-alpha 1] | 3–0 | 1–1 | — | 0–0 | ||
4 | Japan Gamba Osaka | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 9 | −5 | 2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–2 | — |
Notes:
Group H
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | SYD | URA | GZE | POH | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Australia Sydney FC | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 10 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 0–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | |
2 | Japan Urawa Red Diamonds | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 9 | 2–0 | — | 1–0 | 1–1 | ||
3 | China Guangzhou Evergrande | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 8 | 1–0 | 2–2 | — | 0–0 | ||
4 | South Korea Pohang Steelers | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 5 | −3 | 5 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | — |
Knockout stage
{{#lst:2016 AFC Champions League knockout stage|Format}}
Bracket
{{#lst:2016 AFC Champions League knockout stage|Bracket}}
Round of 16
{{#lst:2016 AFC Champions League knockout stage|Round of 16}}
Quarter-finals
{{#lst:2016 AFC Champions League knockout stage|Quarter-finals}}
- Notes
Semi-finals
{{#lst:2016 AFC Champions League knockout stage|Semi-finals}}
Final
{{#lst:2016 AFC Champions League knockout stage|Final}}
Awards
Main awards
Award | Player | Team |
---|---|---|
Most Valuable Player[16] | United Arab Emirates Omar Abdulrahman | United Arab Emirates Al-Ain |
Top Goalscorer[17] | Brazil Adriano | South Korea FC Seoul |
Fair Play Award[16] | — | United Arab Emirates Al-Ain |
All-Star Squad
Source:[18]
Position | Player | Team |
---|---|---|
Goalkeepers | South Korea Kwoun Sun-tae | South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors |
Uzbekistan Ignatiy Nesterov | Uzbekistan Lokomotiv Tashkent | |
Defenders | United Arab Emirates Ismail Ahmed | United Arab Emirates Al-Ain |
Brazil Gil | China Shandong Luneng | |
South Korea Kim Ju-young | China Shanghai SIPG | |
South Korea Cho Sung-hwan | South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | |
South Korea Kwak Tae-hwi | South Korea FC Seoul | |
Midfielders | United Arab Emirates Omar Abdulrahman | United Arab Emirates Al-Ain |
South Korea Kim Bo-kyung | South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | |
Uzbekistan Server Djeparov | Uzbekistan Lokomotiv Tashkent | |
South Korea Lee Jae-sung | South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | |
Mali Seydou Keita | Qatar El Jaish | |
Brazil Leonardo | South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | |
Argentina Walter Montillo | China Shandong Luneng | |
South Korea Lee Myung-joo | United Arab Emirates Al-Ain | |
Forwards | Brazil Adriano | South Korea FC Seoul |
Colombia Danilo Moreno Asprilla | United Arab Emirates Al-Ain | |
Brazil Caio | United Arab Emirates Al-Ain | |
Montenegro Dejan Damjanović | South Korea FC Seoul | |
Brazil Hulk | China Shanghai SIPG | |
China Wu Lei | China Shanghai SIPG | |
Brazil Ricardo Lopes | South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | |
Brazil Romarinho | Qatar El Jaish |
Opta Best XI
Source:[19]
Position | Player | Team |
---|---|---|
Goalkeeper | United Arab Emirates Khalid Eisa | United Arab Emirates Al-Ain |
Defenders | United Arab Emirates Ahmed Al-Yassi | United Arab Emirates Al-Nasr |
United Arab Emirates Ismail Ahmed | United Arab Emirates Al-Ain | |
United Arab Emirates Mahmoud Khamees | United Arab Emirates Al-Nasr | |
Midfielders | United Arab Emirates Omar Abdulrahman | United Arab Emirates Al-Ain |
Brazil Leonardo | South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | |
South Korea Lee Jae-sung | South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | |
China Wu Lei | China Shanghai SIPG | |
Forwards | Brazil Adriano | South Korea FC Seoul |
Brazil Douglas | United Arab Emirates Al-Ain | |
Brazil Romarinho | Qatar El Jaish |
Top scorers
Rank | Player | Team | MD1 | MD2 | MD3 | MD4 | MD5 | MD6 | 2R1 | 2R2 | QF1 | QF2 | SF1 | SF2 | F1 | F2 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Brazil Adriano | South Korea FC Seoul | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 13 | |||||||
2 | Brazil Leonardo | South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 | ||||||||
3 | Brazil Romarinho | Qatar El Jaish | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | |||||||||
4 | Montenegro Dejan Damjanović | South Korea FC Seoul | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | |||||||||
Brazil Douglas | United Arab Emirates Al-Ain | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | |||||||||||
Uzbekistan Igor Sergeev | Uzbekistan Pakhtakor | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | |||||||||||
South Korea Lee Dong-gook | South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | |||||||||||
China Wu Lei | China Shanghai SIPG | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | ||||||||||
9 | Colombia Danilo Moreno Asprilla | United Arab Emirates Al-Ain | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||||||||||
Albania Besart Berisha | Australia Melbourne Victory | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |||||||||||
Brazil Elkeson | China Shanghai SIPG | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | ||||||||||||
Morocco Abderrazak Hamdallah | Qatar El Jaish | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |||||||||||
Brazil Jô | China Jiangsu Suning | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |||||||||||
Vietnam Nguyễn Anh Đức | Vietnam Becamex Bình Dương | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ||||||||||||
Brazil Diego Tardelli | China Shandong Luneng | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
Note: Goals scored in the qualifying play-off are not counted when determining top scorer (see regulations, Article 77.4).[2] Source: the-AFC.com[20][21][22]
Controversies
On 25 January 2016, the AFC announced changes to the group stage schedule due to Saudi Arabia's refusal to play in Iran.[23] After the changes, all matches between teams from Iran and Saudi Arabia (including possible play-off winners) were rescheduled to be played on matchdays 5 and 6 (19–20 April and 3–4 May). The venues of these matches would be decided after an evaluation deadline of 15 March 2016. As there had not been a return to normal relations between the two countries by then with Saudi Arabia refusing to lift their travel restrictions to Iran, the AFC accepted the Saudi Arabian Football Federation's proposal of playing all matches between teams from Iran and Saudi Arabia in neutral venues.[24] The Saudi Arabian Football Federation supports its clubs who refuse to travel to Iran.[25] The Iranian Football Federation has stated that it could withdraw from the AFC Champions League due to the venue changes.[26]
See also
References
- ↑ "Jeonbuk clinch ticket to Japan". FIFA. 26 November 2016. Archived from the original on November 27, 2016.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "2016 AFC Champions League Competition Regulations" (PDF). AFC. 28 November 2015.
- ↑ "Revamp of AFC competitions". AFC. 25 January 2014.
- ↑ "ExCo approves expanded AFC Asian Cup finals". AFC. 16 April 2014.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "AFC MA Ranking as at 3 November 2014" (PDF). AFC.
- ↑ "AFC Competitions Committee meeting". AFC. 28 November 2014.
- ↑ "AFC Champions League slots allocated for 2015-2016". AFC. 4 December 2014.
- ↑ "Slot allocation for ACL 2015 - 2016" (PDF). AFC.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 "Champions Guangzhou Evergrande to learn ACL 2016 opponents". AFC. 4 December 2015.
- ↑ "ด่วน! "สุพรรณ" แห้ว เอเอฟซีให้สิทธิ์ "ฉลาม" เล่นถ้วยเอเชีย". MGRSport. 15 December 2015.
- ↑ "AFC Calendar of Competitions 2016" (PDF). AFC.
- ↑ "ACL 2016 quarter-finalists to learn opponents on Thursday". AFC. 8 June 2016.
- ↑ "AFC Champions League 2016 Group Stage Draw". AFC. 10 December 2015.
- ↑ "ACL 2016 Draw Results" (PDF). AFC.
- ↑ "El Jaish (QAT) vs Nasr (UAE) match forfeited". AFC. 12 September 2016. Archived from the original on 13 September 2016.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 "Omar Abdulrahman lands AFC Champions League 2016 MVP award". AFC. 27 November 2016. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
- ↑ "Adriano named AFC Champions League 2016 top scorer". AFC. 27 November 2016.
- ↑ "TSG Report: AFC Champions League 2016 - Part 3". AFC. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
- ↑ "The Best ACL2016 XI announced!". Asian Football Confederation. 2020-05-31. Retrieved 2022-05-10.
- ↑ "Top Goal Scorers (by Stage) – 2016 AFC Champions League Group Stage". the-afc.com. AFC.
- ↑ "Top Goal Scorers (by Stage) – 2016 AFC Champions League Round of 16". the-afc.com. AFC.
- ↑ "Top Goal Scorers (by Stage) – 2016 AFC Champions League Knockout Stage". the-afc.com. AFC.
- ↑ "Decisions following AFC Competitions Committee meeting". AFC. 25 January 2016.
- ↑ "Saudi Arabia and Iran clubs to play at neutral venues in Champions League". AFC. 16 March 2016.
- ↑ "AFC Champions League football matches delayed over Saudi-Iran tension". Gulf News. 25 January 2016. Archived from the original on 10 October 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
- ↑ Ali Khan, Mir Farhad (2 February 2016). "Iranian clubs could withdraw from AFC Champions League due to venue changes". Persian Football.
External links
- AFC Champions League, the-AFC.com