2009 AFC Champions League

2009 AFC Champions League
Tournament details
Dates 18 February – 7 November 2009
Teams 35 (from 13 associations)
Final positions
Champions Pohang Steelers
Runners-up Al-Ittihad
Tournament statistics
Matches played 114
Goals scored 340 (2.98 per match)
Attendance 1,396,226 (12,248 per match)
Top scorer(s) Leandro
(10 goals)
Best player Noh Byung-Joon
(Pohang Steelers)
← 2008
2010 →

The 2009 AFC Champions League was the 28th edition of the top-level Asian club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the 7th under the current AFC Champions League title. The final took place at National Stadium in Tokyo, Japan on November 7. The winners, the K-League club Pohang Steelers, qualified for the 2009 FIFA Club World Cup in UAE.

The champions league was expanded to 35 clubs this year, with 5 teams starting from a knockout qualifying stage. An extra stage in the knockout phase was added so that the runners up as well as the winners from the group stage would progress. The previous season winner no longer got a bye through to the knockout round. Each team was allowed to field a maximum of four foreign players this season, one of whom had to be from an AFC Member Association country.

On 5 November 2008 it was announced that Qatar's leading telecom company Qtel will sponsor the AFC Champions League from 2009-2012.[1]

Contents

Qualification

A total of 35 teams will participate in the 2009 Champions League.[2]

AFC assessment ranking

West Asia
Pos Member
Association		 Points
(total 500)		 Clubs Spots
Group stage Play-off AFC Cup
4 Saudi Arabia 365 12 4 0 0
5 UAE 356 12 3 1 0
7 Iran 340 18 4 0 0
9 Uzbekistan 289 16 2 0 1
10 Qatar 270 10 2 0 0
13 India 202 10 0 1 1
Meet the criteria
Do not meet the criteria
East Asia
Pos Member
Association		 Points
(total 500)		 Clubs Spots
Group stage Play-off AFC Cup
1 Japan 470 18 4 0 0
2 Korea Republic 441 14 4 0 0
3 China PR 431 16 4 0 0
6 Australia 343 7+1† 2 0 0
8 Indonesia 296 18 1 1 0
11 Singapore 279 12 0 1 1
12 Thailand 221 16 0 1 1
14 Vietnam 191 14 0 0 2

† One of the A-League clubs, Wellington Phoenix, is based in New Zealand, an OFC member country, therefore not being eligible to compete in the ACL.

Allocation of entries

Below is the qualification scheme for the 2009 Champions League:

Qualifying play-off: (5 teams)

Group stage: (32 teams)

The following teams had qualified for qualifying play-off, but were removed as their leagues did not meet the Champions League criteria:

Team Original qualification
Binh Duong 2008 V-League champions
Muharraq 2008 AFC Cup winners
Safa 2008 AFC Cup runners-up

Qualified teams

West Asia (Group A-D)
Team Qualification App*
Group stage
Persepolis 2007–08 Persian Gulf Cup champions 2nd
Esteghlal 2007–08 Hazfi Cup winners 2nd
Sepahan 2007–08 Persian Gulf Cup runners-up 5th
Saba Battery 2007–08 Persian Gulf Cup 3rd place 2nd
Al-Hilal 2007–08 Saudi Premier League champions 5th
Al-Shabab 2008 King Cup of Champions winners 4th
Al-Ittihad 2007–08 Saudi Premier League runners-up 5th
Al-Ettifaq 2007–08 Saudi Premier League 4th place 1st
Al-Shabab 2007–08 UAE Football League champions 1st
Al-Ahli 2007–08 UAE President Cup winners 3rd
Al-Jazira 2007–08 UAE Football League runners-up 1st
Al-Gharafa 2007–08 Qatar Stars League champions 4th
Umm-Salal 2008 Emir of Qatar Cup winners 1st
Bunyodkor 2008 Uzbek League champions
2008 Uzbekistani Cup winners		 2nd
Pakhtakor 2008 Uzbek League runners-up 7th
Qualifying play-off participants
Dempo 2007–08 I-League champions 1st
Sharjah 2007–08 UAE Football League 4th place 2nd
East Asia (Group E-H)
Team Qualification App*
Group stage
Shandong Luneng Taishan 2008 Chinese Super League champions 3rd
Shanghai Shenhua 2008 Chinese Super League runners-up 5th
Beijing Guoan 2008 Chinese Super League 3rd place 2nd
Tianjin Teda 2008 Chinese Super League 4th place 1st
Kashima Antlers 2008 J. League Division 1 champions 3rd
Gamba OsakaTH 2008–09 Emperor's Cup winners 3rd
Kawasaki Frontale 2008 J. League Division 1 runners-up 2nd
Nagoya Grampus 2008 J. League Division 1 3rd place 1st
Suwon Samsung Bluewings 2008 K-League champions 2nd
Pohang Steelers 2008 Korean FA Cup winners 2nd
FC Seoul 2008 K-League runners-up 1st
Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i 2008 K-League 3rd place 2nd
Newcastle United Jets 2007–08 A-League champions 1st
Central Coast Mariners 2007–08 A-League premiers 1st
Sriwijaya 2007–08 Liga Indonesia Premier Division champions 1st
Qualifying play-off participants
PSMS Medan 2007–08 Liga Indonesia Premier Division runners-up 1st
Singapore Armed Forces 2008 S.League champions 1st
PEA 2008 Thailand Premier League champions 1st

TH Title holders

Schedule

Date Event
Dec 18 Draw for qualifying play-off
Jan 07 Draw for group stage
Feb 18 Qualifying play-off semi-final
Feb 25 Qualifying play-off finals
Mar 10 & 11 Group stage Match Day 1
Mar 17 & 18 Group stage Match Day 2
Apr 07 & 08 Group stage Match Day 3
Apr 21 & 22 Group stage Match Day 4
May 5 & 06 Group stage Match Day 5
Date Event
May 19 & 20 Group stage Match Day 6
May 27 Round of 16, West Asia
Jun 24 Round of 16, East Asia
Jun 29 Draw for remaining rounds
Sep 23 & 24 Quarter-finals 1st leg
Sep 30 Quarter-finals 2nd leg
Oct 21 Semi-finals 1st leg
Oct 28 Semi-finals 2nd leg
Nov 07 Final (National Stadium, Tokyo, Japan)

Qualifying play-off

Main article: AFC Champions League 2009 qualifying play-off
Team 1  Score  Team 2
East Asia Semi-final
PEA 1–4 (aet) Singapore Armed Forces
East Asia Final
Singapore Armed Forces 2–1 (aet) PSMS Medan
West Asia Final
Sharjah 3–0 Dempo

Group stage

Main article: AFC Champions League 2009 group stage

The draw for the group stage was held on January 7, 2009 in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Each club plays double round-robin (home and away) against fellow three group members, a total of 6 matches each. Each team had been numbered from 1 to 4, the numbers determine the order of the fixtures.

Clubs receive 3 points for a win, 1 point for a tie, 0 points for a loss. The clubs are ranked according to points and tie breakers are in following order:

  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; (Away goals do not apply)
  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. Kicks from the penalty mark 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 each yellow card, 3 points for each red card as a consequence of two yellow cards, 3 points for each direct red card, 4 points for each yellow card followed by a direct red card)
  8. Drawing of lots.

Winners and runners-up of each group will qualify for the next round.

Group A

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Al-Hilal 6 4 2 0 10 4 +6 14
Pakhtakor 6 4 1 1 9 5 +4 13
Saba Battery 6 1 2 3 7 9 −2 5
Al-Ahli 6 0 1 5 6 14 −8 1
  HIL AHL PAK SAB
Al-Hilal 2–1 2–0 1–1
Al-Ahli 1–3 1–2 3–5
Pakhtakor 1–1 2–0 2–1
Saba Battery 0–1 0–0 1–2

Group B

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Persepolis 4 2 1 1 5 6 −1 7
Al-Shabab 4 2 1 1 4 2 +2 7
Al-Gharafa 4 1 0 3 7 8 −1 3
  GHA SHB PRS
Al-Gharafa 1–3 5–1
Al-Shabab 1–0 0–0
Persepolis 3–1 1–0

Sharjah withdrew from the competition with two games remaining. Their results were expunged.[3]

Group C

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Al-Ittihad 6 3 3 0 14 4 +10 12
Umm-Salal 6 2 2 2 6 13 −7 8
Al-Jazira 6 0 5 1 6 7 −1 5
Esteghlal 6 0 4 2 6 8 −2 4
  ITT JAZ EST UMS
Al-Ittihad 1–1 2–1 7–0
Al-Jazira 0–0 2–2 0–1
Esteghlal 1–1 1–1 1–1
Umm-Salal 1–3 2–2 1–0

Group D

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Al-Ettifaq 6 4 0 2 15 8 +7 12
Bunyodkor 6 2 2 2 5 9 −4 8
Sepahan 6 2 1 3 9 7 +2 7
Al-Shabab 6 2 1 3 6 11 −5 7
  ETT SHB BUN SEP
Al-Ettifaq 4–1 4–0 2–1
Al-Shabab 1–4 2–0 2–1
Bunyodkor 2–1 0–0 2–2
Sepahan 3–0 2–0 0–1

Group E

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Nagoya Grampus 6 3 3 0 10 4 +6 12
Newcastle Jets 6 3 1 2 6 5 +1 10
Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i 6 2 0 4 4 10 −6 6
Beijing Guoan 6 1 2 3 4 5 −1 5
  BEI NAG NEW ULS
Beijing Guoan 1–1 2–0 0–1
Nagoya Grampus 0–0 1–1 4–1
Newcastle Jets 2–1 0–1 2–0
Ulsan Horang-i 1–0 1–3 0–1

Group F

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Gamba Osaka 6 5 0 1 17 4 +13 15
FC Seoul 6 3 1 2 14 11 +3 10
Shandong Luneng 6 2 1 3 10 9 +1 7
Sriwijaya 6 1 0 5 7 24 −17 3
  OSA SEO SHA SRI
Gamba Osaka 1–2 3–0 5–0
FC Seoul 2–4 1–1 5–1
Shandong Luneng 0–1 2–0 5–0
Sriwijaya 0–3 2–4 4–2

Group G

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Kashima Antlers 6 4 1 1 16 6 +10 13
Suwon Bluewings 6 4 0 2 12 8 +4 12
Shanghai Shenhua 6 2 2 2 9 8 +1 8
SAFFC 6 0 1 5 4 19 −15 1
  KAS SAF SHA SUW
Kashima Antlers 5–0 2–0 3–0
SAFFC 1–4 1–1 0–2
Shanghai Shenhua 1–1 4–1 2–1
Suwon Bluewings 4–1 3–1 2–1

Group H

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Pohang Steelers 6 3 3 0 7 3 +4 12
Kawasaki Frontale 6 3 1 2 10 7 +3 10
Tianjin Teda 6 2 2 2 6 5 +1 8
Central Coast Mariners 6 0 2 4 5 13 −8 2
  CCM KAW POH TIA
CC Mariners 0–5 0–0 0–1
Kawasaki Frontale 2–1 0–2 1–0
Pohang Steelers 3–2 1–1 1–0
Tianjin Teda 2–2 3–1 0–0

Knockout stage

Main article: 2009 AFC Champions League knockout stage

Round of 16

The draw for the round of 16 of the 2009 AFC Champions League was held on 7 January 2009, along with the draw for the group stage. The West Asian matches were played on 26 and 27 May. The East Asian matches were played on 24 June.

Team 1  Score  Team 2
West Asia
Al-Hilal 0–0 (aet)
(3–4p)		 Umm-Salal
Persepolis 0–1 Bunyodkor
Al-Ittihad 2–1 Al-Shabab
Al-Ettifaq 1–2 Pakhtakor
East Asia
Nagoya Grampus 2–1 Suwon Bluewings
Gamba Osaka 2–3 Kawasaki Frontale
Kashima Antlers 2–2 (aet)
(4–5p)		 FC Seoul
Pohang Steelers 6–0 Newcastle Jets

Quarter-finals

The draw for the quarter-finals and the remaining knockout rounds took place at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on June 29, 2009. The first leg matches were played on 23–24 September, with the second leg matches played on 30 September.

Team 1   Agg.   Team 2   1st leg     2nd leg  
Umm-Salal 4–3 FC Seoul 3–2 1–1
Kawasaki Frontale 3–4 Nagoya Grampus 2–1 1–3
Pakhtakor 1–5 Al-Ittihad 1–1 0–4
Bunyodkor 4–5 Pohang Steelers 3–1 1–4 (aet)

Semi-finals

The first leg matches were played on 21 October, with the second leg matches were played on 28 October 2009.

Team 1   Agg.   Team 2   1st leg     2nd leg  
Al-Ittihad 8–3 Nagoya Grampus 6–2 2–1
Pohang Steelers 4–1 Umm-Salal 2–0 2–1

Final

Main article: 2009 AFC Champions League Final

The 2009 AFC Champions League Final was played on November 7 at National Stadium, Tokyo, Japan.

7 November 2009
19:00 (JST)
 Al-Ittihad 1 – 2 Pohang Steelers National Olympic Stadium, Tokyo
Attendance: 25,743
Referee: Matthew Breeze (Australia)
Mohammed Noor  74' Report Noh Byung-Joon  57'
Kim Hyung-Il  66'
AFC Champions League
2009 Winners
Pohang Steelers
Third Title

Top scorers

As of 28 October 2009. Bold typeface indicates players and clubs still competing

Rank Player Club MD1 MD2 MD3 MD4 MD5 MD6 R16 QF1 QF2 SF1 SF2  F  Total
1 Leandro Gamba Osaka 1 3 2 1 1 2 10
2 Prince Tagoe Al-Ettifaq 2 3 2 1 8
3 Denilson Pohang Steelers 3 1 1 2 7
4 Nasser Al-Shamrani Al-Shabab 1 1 3 1 6
5 Mohammed Noor Al-Ittihad 1 3 1 5
Yoshizumi Ogawa Nagoya Grampus 1 2 1 1 5
Hicham Aboucherouane Al-Ittihad 1 1 1 1 1 5
Dejan Damjanović FC Seoul 3 1 1 5
Renatinho Kawasaki Frontale 1 1 1 1 1 5
Zaynitdin Tadjiyev Pakhtakor 1 1 1 1 1 5
Araújo Al-Gharafa 1 1 3 5

Fair Play Award

Pohang Steelers[4]

See also

Notes and references

  1. ^ "Qtel to sponsor AFC Asian Cup and ACL". AFC. 2008-11-05. http://www.the-afc.com/eng/articles/viewArticle.jsp_168330066.html. Retrieved 2008-11-05. 
  2. ^ "2009 ACL draw – thrilling match-ups". AFC. 2009-01-07. http://www.the-afc.com/eng/articles/viewArticle.jsp_168460298.html. Retrieved 2009-01-07. 
  3. ^ "Sharjah SC withdraw from ACL". AFC. 2009-05-04. http://www.the-afc.com/eng/articles/viewArticle.jsp_168690590.html. Retrieved 2009-05-06. 
  4. ^ "Triple treat for Steelers". AFC (Asian Football Confederation). 2009-11-07. http://www.the-afc.com/en/afc-champions-league-2009/25921-acl-awards. Retrieved 2009-11-07. 

External links

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Regional club competitions
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2009 AFC Champions League
Champions
Runners-up
Eliminated in Semi-finals
Eliminated in Quarter finals
Eliminated in Round of 16
Eliminated in group stage

Al-Ahli  • Al-Gharafa • Al-Jazira • Al-Shabab • Beijing Guoan • Central Coast Mariners • Esteghlal • Saba Qom • Sepahan • Shandong Luneng • Shanghai Shenhua • Sharjah † • Singapore Armed Forces • Sriwijaya • Tianjin Teda • Ulsan Hyundai


† Withdrew from the competition after 4 matches.