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2018 AFC Champions League

37th edition of premier club football tournament organized by the AFC From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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.

DatesQualifying:
16–30 January 2018
Competition proper:
12 February – 10 November 2018
TeamsCompetition proper: 32
Total: 46 (from 20 associations)
ChampionsJapan Kashima Antlers (1st title)
Runners-upIran Persepolis
Quick facts Tournament details, Dates ...
2018 AFC Champions League
Tournament details
DatesQualifying:
16–30 January 2018
Competition proper:
12 February – 10 November 2018
TeamsCompetition proper: 32
Total: 46 (from 20 associations)
Final positions
ChampionsJapan Kashima Antlers (1st title)
Runners-upIran Persepolis
Tournament statistics
Matches played126
Goals scored364 (2.89 per match)
Attendance1,876,986 (14,897 per match)
Top scorerAlgeria Baghdad Bounedjah (13 goals)
Best playerJapan Yuma Suzuki
Fair play awardIran Persepolis
2017
2019
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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]

  • The associations were split into two regions:
  • In each region, there are four groups in the group stage, including a total of 12 direct slots, with the 4 remaining slots filled through play-offs.
  • The top 12 associations in each region 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 region get at least one direct slot in the group stage, while the remaining associations get only play-off slots (as well as AFC Cup group stage slots):
    • The associations ranked 1st and 2nd each get three direct slots and one play-off slot.
    • The associations ranked 3rd and 4th each get two direct slots and two play-off slots.
    • The associations ranked 5th each get one direct slot and two play-off slots.
    • The associations ranked 6th each get one direct slot and one play-off slot.
    • The associations ranked 7th to 12th each get one play-off slot.
  • The maximum number of slots for each association is one-third of the total number of eligible teams in the top division.
  • If any association gives up its direct slots, they are redistributed to the highest eligible association, with each association limited to a maximum of three direct slots.
  • If any association gives up its play-off slots, they are annulled and not redistributed to any other association.

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]

More information Participation for 2018 AFC Champions League ...
Participation for 2018 AFC Champions League
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Not participating
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More information Rank, Member Association ...
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Notes
  1. ^
    Australia (AUS): The top division run by the Football Federation Australia, the A-League, only have nine Australia-based teams in the 2016–17 season, so Australia can only get a maximum of three total slots (Entry Manual 5.4).[4]
  2. ^
    Iraq (IRQ): Iraq did not implement the AFC Champions League club licensing system.[7]
  3. ^
    Kuwait (KUW): Kuwait could not enter due to FIFA's suspension of the Kuwait Football Association at the entry deadline.[8] (Even if its suspension were lifted, Kuwaiti clubs would not enter since Kuwait did not implement club licensing system.[7])
  4. ^
    Lebanon (LIB): Lebanon did not implement the AFC Champions League club licensing system.[7]
  5. ^
    Saudi Arabia (KSA): Saudi Arabia had only two entries as Al-Nassr and Al-Ittihad, the 2016–17 Saudi Professional League 3rd place and 4th place, which would have entered the group stage and qualifying play-offs respectively, failed to obtain an AFC licence, and no other teams below them in the league were eligible to replace them, as all other licensed teams from Saudi Arabia finished in the bottom half of the league and did not meet the sporting criteria (Entry Manual 12.6).[4][7]
  6. ^
    Syria (SYR): Syria did not implement the AFC Champions League club licensing system.[7]

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.

More information Team, Qualifying method ...
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Notes
  1. ^
    Indonesia (IDN): Bhayangkara, the 2017 Liga 1 champions, failed to obtain an AFC licence. As a result, Bali United, the league runners-up, entered the qualifying play-offs.[9]
  2. ^
    Iran (IRN): Naft Tehran, the 2016–17 Hazfi Cup winners, failed to obtain an AFC licence. As a result, Tractor, the 2016–17 Persian Gulf Pro League 3rd place, entered the groups stage instead of the qualifying play-offs, while Zob Ahan, the league 4th place, entered the qualifying play-offs.
  3. ^
    Qatar (QAT): El Jaish, the 2016–17 Qatar Stars League 4th place, were merged into Lekhwiya to form Al-Duhail after the 2016–17 season. As a result, Al-Gharafa, the league 5th place, entered the qualifying play-offs.[10]
  4. ^
    Singapore (SIN): Albirex Niigata Singapore, the 2017 S.League champions, is a satellite team of Japanese club Albirex Niigata and thus ineligible to represent Singapore in AFC club competitions. As a result, Tampines Rovers, the league runners-up, entered the qualifying play-offs.
  5. ^
    United Arab Emirates (UAE): Al-Ahli, the 2016–17 UAE Pro-League 3rd place, merged with Al-Shabab and Dubai to form Shabab Al-Ahli Dubai after the 2016–17 season, and were excluded from the AFC Champions League for failing to be in existence for the necessary three year requirement. As a result, Al-Ain, the league 4th place, entered the qualifying play-offs (initially they failed to obtain an AFC licence but later won their appeal).[11][12]
  6. ^
    Vietnam (VIE): Quảng Nam, the 2017 V.League 1 champions, failed to obtain an AFC licence. As a result, FLC Thanh Hóa, the league runners-up, entered the qualifying play-offs.[13]
Location of the 2025–26 AFC Champions League Elite league stage teams
Blue: West Region

Schedule

The schedule of the competition was as follows.[14]

More information Stage, Round ...
Stage Round Draw date First leg Second leg
Preliminary stage Preliminary round 1 No draw 16 January 2018
Preliminary round 2 23 January 2018
Play-off stage Play-off round 30 January 2018
Group stage Matchday 1 6 December 2017 12–14 February 2018
Matchday 2 19–21 February 2018
Matchday 3 5–7 March 2018
Matchday 4 12–14 March 2018
Matchday 5 2–4 April 2018
Matchday 6 16–18 April 2018
Knockout stage Round of 16 7–9 May 2018 14–16 May 2018
Quarter-finals 23 May 2018 27–29 August 2018 17–19 September 2018
Semi-finals 2–3 October 2018 23–24 October 2018
Final 3 November 2018 10 November 2018
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Qualifying play-offs

In the qualifying play-offs, each tie was played as a single match. Extra time and penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winner if necessary (Regulations Article 9.2). The eight winners of the play-off round advanced to the group stage to join the 24 direct entrants. All losers in each round from associations with only play-off slots entered the AFC Cup group stage.[1] The bracket of the qualifying play-offs for each region was determined by the AFC based on the association ranking of each team, with the team from the higher-ranked association hosting the match. Teams from the same association could not be placed into the same play-off.[15]

Preliminary round 1

More information Team 1, Score ...
Team 1  Score  Team 2
East Region
Bali United Indonesia 3–1 Singapore Tampines Rovers
Shan United Myanmar 1–1 (a.e.t.)
(3–4 p)
Philippines Ceres–Negros
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Preliminary round 2

More information Team 1, Score ...
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Play-off round

More information Team 1, Score ...
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Group stage

The draw for the group stage was held on 6 December 2017, 16:30 MYT (UTC+8), at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.[16][15] The 32 teams were drawn into eight groups of four: four groups each in the West Region (Groups A–D) and the East Region (Groups E–H). Teams from the same association could not be drawn into the same group. 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 of the knockout stage.

More information Tiebreakers ...
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Group A

More information Pos, Pld ...
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification AHL JAZ GHA TRA
1 Saudi Arabia Al-Ahli 6 4 2 0 9 4 +5 14 Advance to knockout stage 2–1 1–1 2–0
2 United Arab Emirates Al-Jazira 6 2 2 2 9 9 0 8[a] 1–2 3–2 0–0
3 Qatar Al-Gharafa 6 2 2 2 12 9 +3 8[a] 1–1 2–3 3–0
4 Iran Tractor Sazi 6 0 2 4 2 10 8 2 0–1 1–1 1–3
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Source: AFC
Notes:
  1. Head-to-head results: Al-Jazira 3–2 Al-Gharafa, Al-Gharafa 2–3 Al-Jazira.

Group B

More information Pos, Pld ...
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification DUH ZOB LOK WAH
1 Qatar Al-Duhail 6 6 0 0 13 6 +7 18 Advance to knockout stage 3–1 3–2 1–0
2 Iran Zob Ahan 6 2 1 3 6 8 2 7[a] 0–1 2–0 2–0
3 Uzbekistan Lokomotiv Tashkent 6 2 1 3 13 9 +4 7[a] 1–2 1–1 5–0
4 United Arab Emirates Al-Wahda 6 1 0 5 6 15 9 3 2–3 3–0 1–4
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Source: AFC
Notes:
  1. Head-to-head results: Zob Ahan 2–0 Lokomotiv Tashkent, Lokomotiv Tashkent 1–1 Zob Ahan.

Group C

More information Pos, Pld ...
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification PER SAD NSF WAS
1 Iran Persepolis 6 4 1 1 8 3 +5 13 Advance to knockout stage 1–0 3–0 2–0
2 Qatar Al-Sadd 6 4 0 2 11 5 +6 12 3–1 4–0 2–1
3 Uzbekistan Nasaf Qarshi 6 3 1 2 4 8 4 10 0–0 1–0 1–0
4 United Arab Emirates Al-Wasl 6 0 0 6 3 10 7 0 0–1 1–2 1–2
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Source: AFC

Group D

More information Pos, Pld ...
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification EST AIN RAY HIL
1 Iran Esteghlal 6 3 3 0 9 5 +4 12 Advance to knockout stage 1–1 2–0 1–0
2 United Arab Emirates Al-Ain 6 2 4 0 10 6 +4 10 2–2 1–1 2–1
3 Qatar Al-Rayyan 6 1 3 2 7 11 4 6 2–2 1–4 2–1
4 Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal 6 0 2 4 3 7 4 2 0–1 0–0 1–1
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Source: AFC

Group E

More information Pos, Pld ...
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification JEO TJQ KSW KIT
1 South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 6 5 0 1 22 9 +13 15 Advance to knockout stage 6–3 3–2 3–0
2 China Tianjin Quanjian 6 4 1 1 15 11 +4 13 4–2 3–2 3–0
3 Japan Kashiwa Reysol 6 1 1 4 6 10 4 4 0–2 1–1 1–0
4 Hong Kong Kitchee 6 1 0 5 1 14 13 3 0–6 0–1 1–0
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Source: AFC

Group F

More information Pos, Pld ...
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification SSI ULS MEL KAW
1 China Shanghai SIPG 6 3 2 1 10 6 +4 11 Advance to knockout stage 2–2 4–1 1–1
2 South Korea Ulsan Hyundai 6 2 3 1 15 11 +4 9 0–1 6–2 2–1
3 Australia Melbourne Victory 6 2 2 2 11 16 5 8 2–1 3–3 1–0
4 Japan Kawasaki Frontale 6 0 3 3 6 9 3 3 0–1 2–2 2–2
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Source: AFC

Group G

More information Pos, Pld ...
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification GZE BUR CER JEJ
1 China Guangzhou Evergrande 6 3 3 0 12 6 +6 12 Advance to knockout stage 1–1 3–1 5–3
2 Thailand Buriram United 6 2 3 1 7 6 +1 9 1–1 2–0 0–2
3 Japan Cerezo Osaka 6 2 2 2 6 8 2 8 0–0 2–2 2–1
4 South Korea Jeju United 6 1 0 5 6 11 5 3 0–2 0–1 0–1
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Source: AFC

Group H

More information Pos, Pld ...
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification SSB KAS SYD SSH
1 South Korea Suwon Samsung Bluewings 6 3 1 2 8 7 +1 10 Advance to knockout stage 1–2 1–4 1–1
2 Japan Kashima Antlers 6 2 3 1 8 6 +2 9 0–1 1–1 1–1
3 Australia Sydney FC 6 1 3 2 7 8 1 6 0–2 0–2 0–0
4 China Shanghai Shenhua 6 0 5 1 6 8 2 5 0–2 2–2 2–2
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Source: AFC

Knockout stage

In the knockout stage, the 16 teams played a single-elimination tournament, with the teams split into the two regions 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 (Regulations Article 11.3).[1]

Bracket

The bracket was decided after the draw for the quarter-finals, which was held on 23 May 2018, 16:00 MYT (UTC+8), at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.[17][18][19]

Round of 16 Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
                
Japan Kashima Antlers 3 1 4
China Shanghai SIPG 1 2 3
Japan Kashima Antlers 2 3 5
China Tianjin Quanjian 0 0 0
China Tianjin Quanjian (a) 0 2 2
China Guangzhou Evergrande 0 2 2
Japan Kashima Antlers 3 3 6
East Region
South Korea Suwon Samsung Bluewings 2 3 5
Thailand Buriram United 3 0 3
South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 2 2 4
South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 0 3 3 (2)
South Korea Suwon Samsung Bluewings (p) 3 0 3 (4)
South Korea Ulsan Hyundai 1 0 1
South Korea Suwon Samsung Bluewings 0 3 3
Japan Kashima Antlers 2 0 2
Iran Persepolis 0 0 0
Iran Zob Ahan 1 1 2
Iran Esteghlal 0 3 3
Iran Esteghlal 1 2 3
Qatar Al-Sadd 3 2 5
Qatar Al-Sadd 2 2 4
Saudi Arabia Al-Ahli 1 2 3
Qatar Al-Sadd 0 1 1
West Region
Iran Persepolis 1 1 2
United Arab Emirates Al-Ain 2 1 3
Qatar Al-Duhail 4 4 8
Qatar Al-Duhail 1 1 2
Iran Persepolis 0 3 3
United Arab Emirates Al-Jazira 3 1 4
Iran Persepolis (a) 2 2 4

Round of 16

In the round of 16, the winners of one group played the runners-up of another group from the same region, with the group winners hosting the second leg, and the matchups determined by the group stage draw.

More information Team 1, Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score ...
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
West Region
Al-Jazira United Arab Emirates 4–4 (a) Iran Persepolis 3–2 1–2
Al-Sadd Qatar 4–3 Saudi Arabia Al-Ahli 2–1 2–2
Zob Ahan Iran 2–3 Iran Esteghlal 1–0 1–3
Al-Ain United Arab Emirates 3–8 Qatar Al-Duhail 2–4 1–4
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More information Team 1, Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score ...
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Quarter-finals

The draw for the quarter-finals was held on 23 May 2018.[19] In the quarter-finals, the four teams from the West Region played in two ties, and the four teams from the East Region played in two ties, with the matchups and order of legs decided by draw, without any seeding or country protection.

More information Team 1, Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score ...
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
West Region
Esteghlal Iran 3–5 Qatar Al-Sadd 1–3 2–2
Al-Duhail Qatar 2–3 Iran Persepolis 1–0 1–3
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More information Team 1, Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score ...
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
East Region
Kashima Antlers Japan 5–0 China Tianjin Quanjian 2–0 3–0
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors South Korea 3–3 (2–4 p) South Korea Suwon Samsung Bluewings 0–3 3–0 (a.e.t.)
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Semi-finals

In the semi-finals, the two quarter-final winners from the West Region played each other, and the two quarter-final winners from the East Region played each other, with the order of legs determined by the quarter-final draw.

More information Team 1, Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score ...
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
West Region
Al-Sadd Qatar 1–2 Iran Persepolis 0–1 1–1
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More information Team 1, Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score ...
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
East Region
Kashima Antlers Japan 6–5 South Korea Suwon Samsung Bluewings 3–2 3–3
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Final

In the final, the two semi-final winners played each other, with the order of legs (first leg hosted by team from the East Region, second leg hosted by team from the West Region) reversed from the previous season's final.

More information Kashima Antlers, 2–0 ...
Kashima Antlers Japan2–0Iran Persepolis
Live Report
Stats Report
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Attendance: 35,022
Referee: Ma Ning (China)
More information Persepolis, 0–0 ...
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Attendance: 100,000
Referee: Ahmed Al-Kaf (Oman)

Kashima Antlers won 2–0 on aggregate.

Awards

Main awards

More information Award, Player ...
Award Player Team
Most Valuable Player[20] Japan Yuma Suzuki Japan Kashima Antlers
Top Goalscorer[21] Algeria Baghdad Bounedjah Qatar Al-Sadd
Fair Play Award Iran Persepolis
Best Goal[22] Hong Kong Cheng Chin Lung Hong Kong Kitchee
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All-Star Squad

Source:[23]

Opta Best XI

Source:[24]

Fans' Best XI

Source:[24]

Top scorers

  Team eliminated / inactive for this round.
  Player was not in the team but team still active for this round.
More information Rank, Player ...
Rank Player Team MD1 MD2 MD3 MD4 MD5 MD6 2R1 2R2 QF1 QF2 SF1 SF2 F1 F2 Total
1 Algeria Baghdad Bounedjah Qatar Al-Sadd 22122211 13
2 Montenegro Dejan Damjanović South Korea Suwon Samsung Bluewings 2111211 9
Morocco Youssef El-Arabi Qatar Al-Duhail 22212
4 Senegal Mame Baba Thiam Iran Esteghlal 1213 7
Brazil Ricardo Goulart China Guangzhou Evergrande 142
6 Sweden Marcus Berg United Arab Emirates Al-Ain 1122 6
South Korea Kim Shin-wook South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 3111
Brazil Romarinho United Arab Emirates Al-Jazira 111111
9 Brazil Adriano South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 311 5
Iran Morteza Tabrizi Iran Zob Ahan (GS & R16)
Iran Esteghlal (QF)
1211
Brazil Serginho Japan Kashima Antlers 11111
United Arab Emirates Ali Mabkhout United Arab Emirates Al-Jazira 1121
Saudi Arabia Muhannad Assiri Saudi Arabia Al-Ahli 11111
Iran Mehdi Taremi Qatar Al-Gharafa 1211
Iran Ali Alipour Iran Persepolis 2111
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Note: Goals scored in the qualifying play-offs are not counted when determining top scorer (Regulations Article 64.4).[1]

Source: AFC[25]

Player of the week awards

More information Matchday, Toyota Player of the Week ...
Matchday Toyota Player of the Week
Player Team
Group stage
Matchday 1[26] Netherlands Leroy George Australia Melbourne Victory
Matchday 2[27] Brazil Oscar China Shanghai SIPG
Matchday 3[28] Brazil Ricardo Goulart China Guangzhou Evergrande
Matchday 4[29] United Arab Emirates Ali Khasif United Arab Emirates Al-Jazira
Matchday 5[30] Croatia Mislav Oršić South Korea Ulsan Hyundai
Matchday 6[31] Brazil Alan China Guangzhou Evergrande
Knockout stage
Round of 16 1st leg[32] Brazil Edgar Thailand Buriram United
Round of 16 2nd leg[33] Senegal Mame Baba Thiam Iran Esteghlal
Quarter-finals 1st leg[34] Montenegro Dejan Damjanović South Korea Suwon Samsung Bluewings
Quarter-finals 2nd leg[35] Qatar Akram Afif Qatar Al-Sadd
Semi-finals 1st leg[36] Iran Alireza Beiranvand Iran Persepolis
Semi-finals 2nd leg[37] Montenegro Dejan Damjanović South Korea Suwon Samsung Bluewings
Final 1st leg[38] Brazil Serginho Japan Kashima Antlers
Final 2nd leg[39] South Korea Kwoun Sun-tae Japan Kashima Antlers
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See also

References

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