2007 AFC Champions League

The 2007 AFC Champions League was the 26th edition of the top-level Asian club football tournament and the 5th edition under the current AFC Champions League title.

2007 AFC Champions League
Tournament details
Dates7 March – 14 November 2007
Teams27
Final positions
ChampionsJapan Urawa Red Diamonds (1st title)
Runners-upIran Sepahan
Tournament statistics
Matches played92
Goals scored230 (2.5 per match)
Top scorer(s)Brazil Mota
(7 goals)
Best player(s)Japan Yuichiro Nagai
Fair play awardJapan Urawa Red Diamonds
2006
2008

Japanese side Urawa Red Diamonds became champions for the first time, beating Sepahan of Iran and becoming the fourth Japanese club to win the Asian championship, and qualified for the 2007 FIFA Club World Cup.

Format

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Group Stage

A total of 28 clubs were divided into 7 groups of four, based on region i.e. East Asian and Southeast Asian clubs were drawn in groups E to G, while the rest were grouped in groups A to D. Each club played double round-robin (home and away) against fellow three group members, a total of 6 matches each. Clubs received 3pts for a win, 1pt for a tie, 0pts for a loss. The clubs were ranked according to points and tie breakers were in the following order:

  • Points earned between the clubs in question
  • Goal Differential between the clubs in question
  • Points earned within the group
  • Goal Differential within the group
  • Goals For within the group

The seven group winners along with the defending champion advanced to the quarter-finals.

Knockout Round

All eight clubs were randomly matched; however, the only restriction was that the clubs from the same country could not face each other in the quarter-finals. The games were conducted in 2 legs, home and away, and the aggregate score decided the match winner. If the aggregate score couldn't produce a winner, "away goals rule" was used. If still tied, clubs played extra time, where "away goals rule" still applied. If still tied, the game went to penalties.

Participating clubs

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After their admission into the AFC, Australia were granted two entries. Because of this, both Thailand and Vietnam were restricted to entering just one club, with a second club from each country playing in the AFC Cup.

West Asia East Asia
Quarter-finals
Team Qualifying method Team Qualifying method
  Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors Defending champions
Group Stage
Team Qualifying method Team Qualifying method
  Esteghlal[Note DSQ] 2005–06 Iran Pro League champions   Adelaide United 2005–06 A-League premiers
  Sepahan 2005–06 Hazfi Cup winners   Sydney FC 2006 A-League Grand Final winners
  Al-Zawraa 2005–06 Iraqi Premier League champions   Shandong Luneng Taishan 2006 Chinese Super League champions &
2006 Chinese FA Cup winners
  Al-Najaf 2005–06 Iraqi Premier League runners-up   Shanghai Shenhua 2006 Chinese Super League runners-up
  Kuwait SC 2005–06 Kuwaiti Premier League champions   Persik Kediri 2006 Liga Indonesia Premier Division champions
  Al-Arabi 2006 Kuwait Emir Cup winners   Arema Malang 2006 Copa Indonesia winners
  Al Sadd 2005–06 Qatar Stars League champions   Urawa Red Diamonds 2006 J.League Division 1 champions &
2006 Emperor's Cup winners
  Al-Rayyan 2005–06 Emir of Qatar Cup winners   Kawasaki Frontale 2006 J.League Division 1 runners-up
  Al Shabab 2005–06 Saudi Premier League champions   Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma 2006 K League champions
  Al Hilal 2005–06 Saudi Crown Prince Cup winners   Chunnam Dragons 2006 Korean FA Cup winners
  Al-Karamah 2005–06 Syrian Premier League champions   Bangkok University FC 2006 Thailand Premier League champions
  Al-Ittihad 2005–06 Syrian Cup winners   Gach Dong Tam Long An 2006 V-League winners
  Al Wahda 2005–06 UAE Football League runners-up
  Al Ain 2005–06 UAE President's Cup winners
  Pakhtakor 2006 Uzbek League champions &
2006 Uzbekistan Cup winners
  Neftchi Fergana 2006 Uzbek League runners-up
Notes
  1. ^
    Esteghlal were disqualified from the competition by the AFC for failing to submit their player registration form in time. Consequently, Group B was reduced to three teams.

Group stage

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The draw took place in Kuala Lumpur on 22 December, allocating teams into seven groups. In February, the AFC disqualified Esteghlal Tehran from Group B for failing to register their players in time.[citation needed]

Group matches were scheduled to be played over match days on 7 March 21 March 11 April 25 April 9 and 23 May 2007.

Group A

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Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
  Al-Wahda 6 4 1 1 13 6 +7 13
  Al-Zawraa 6 3 2 1 9 6 +3 11
  Al-Arabi 6 2 1 3 10 12 −2 7
  Al-Rayyan 6 0 2 4 3 11 −8 2
Source: [citation needed]
Al-Arabi  0–1  Al-Zawraa
(Report) Muslim Mubarak   66'

Al-Wahda  4–1  Al-Arabi
Mamadou Bagayoko   40'   56' (pen.)
Saleh Al Menhali   63'
Bashir Saeed   68'
6(Report) Mohamed Jarragh   35'

Al-Arabi  1–1  Al-Rayyan
Jarrah Al Zuhair   60' (Report) Adel Lamy   52'

Al-Rayyan  1–3  Al-Arabi
Thiago Ribeiro   44' (report) Khaled Khalaf   25'
Firas Al Khatib   63', 69'
Al-Wahda  1–1  Al-Zawraa
Abdulrahim Jumaa   57' (report) Haidar Sabah   75'
Attendance: 3,000
Referee: Jasim Karim (Bahrain)

Al-Zawraa  3–2  Al-Arabi
Wissam Kadhim   21'
Ahmad Ibrahim   70'
Nawaf Falah   78'
(Report) Firas Al Khatib   50', 84'

Al-Rayyan  1–3  Al-Zawraa
Saoud Khames   75' (Report) Salman Mesbeh   13' (o.g.)
Abdul-Salam Abood   26'
Haidar Sabah   34'

Group B

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Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
  Al-Hilal 4 2 2 0 5 1 +4 8
  Pakhtakor 4 2 0 2 3 5 −2 6
  Al Kuwait 4 0 2 2 2 4 −2 2
  Esteghlal 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0[a]
Source: [citation needed]
Notes:
  1. ^ Esteghlal was disqualified for failing to submit their players list in time.

Al Kuwait  0–1  Pakhtakor
(Report) Aleksandr Kletskov   69'
Attendance: 3,000
Referee: Satop Tongkhan (Thailand)

Pakhtakor  0–2  Al-Hilal
(Report) Omar Al-Ghamdi   54'
Rodrigão   59'
Attendance: 10,000
Referee: Junjie Huang (China)

Al-Hilal  2–0  Pakhtakor
Rodrigão   30'   90' (pen.) (report)

Al Kuwait  0–0  Al-Hilal
(Report)
Attendance: 7,000
Referee: Jasim Karim (Bahrain)

Group C

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Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
  Al-Karamah 6 3 2 1 11 7 +4 11
  Neftchi 6 3 1 2 6 7 −1 10
  Najaf FC 6 2 2 2 9 8 +1 8
  Al Sadd 6 1 1 4 6 10 −4 4
Source: [citation needed]
Najaf FC  0–1  Neftchi
(Report) Kholmatov   71'

Al Sadd  1–4  Najaf FC
Talal Al Bloushi   45' (Report) Aqeel Mohammed   47'
Saeed Mohsen   55'   86' (pen.)
Karrar Jassim   70'
Attendance: 1,500

Al Sadd  2–0  Neftchi
Khalfan Ibrahim   65'
Emerson   75'
(Report)
Attendance: 2,000
Referee: Tan Hai (China)
Al Karamah  1–1  Najaf FC
Fahd Awde   90' (pen.) (Report) Falah Hasan Kadhim   71'
Attendance: 30,000
Referee: Jasim Karim (Bahrain)

Najaf FC  2–4  Al-Karamah
Saeed Mohsen   7' (pen.)
Qassim Faraj   86' (pen.)
(Report) Jehad Al Hussein   46', 52'
Fahd Awde   50'
Senghor Koupouleni   65'
Neftchi  2–1  Al Sadd
Iqboljon Akramov   1'
Nasim Shoimov   41'
(Report) Emerson   17'

Al Sadd  1–1  Al-Karamah
Ali Nasser   16' (Report) Iyad Mando   44'
Attendance: 2,000
Neftchi  1–1  Najaf FC
Kholmatov   43' (Report) Ali Mohammed   60'
Attendance: 16,000

Al-Karamah  2–0  Neftchi
Iyad Mando   12', 50' (Report)

Group D

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Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
  Sepahan 6 4 1 1 12 5 +7 13
  Al-Shabab 6 3 1 2 9 3 +6 10
  Al Ain 6 1 3 2 5 8 −3 6
  Al-Ittihad 6 0 3 3 3 13 −10 3
Sepahan  2–1  Al-Ittihad
Mehdi Seyed Salehi   19', 29' (Report) Anas Sari   12'

Al-Ittihad  0–0  Al Ain
(Report)


Sepahan  1–1  Al Ain
Hossein Papi   49' (Report) Hawar Mulla Mohammed   86'
Attendance: 25,000
Al-Ittihad  1–1  Al-Shabab
Ammar Rihawi   36' (Report) Ahmed Ateef   65'


Al Ain  1–1  Al-Ittihad
Ghareeb Hareb   53' (Report) Anas Sari   90'
Attendance: 2,500
Referee: Huang Junjie (China)

Group E

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Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
  Urawa Red Diamonds 6 2 4 0 9 5 +4 10
  Sydney FC 6 2 3 1 8 5 +3 9
  Persik Kediri 6 2 1 3 6 16 −10 7
  Shanghai Shenhua 6 1 2 3 7 4 +3 5
Source: [citation needed]
Shanghai Shenhua  1–2  Sydney FC
Xie Hui   78' (Report) Steve Corica   8'
Ufuk Talay   23'


Urawa Red Diamonds  1–0  Shanghai Shenhua
Yuki Abe   45' (Report)
Attendance: 28,828
Referee: Masoud Moradi (Iran)

Sydney FC  3–0  Persik Kediri
Steve Corica   54', 90'
Alex Brosque   73'
(Report)
Attendance: 10,075
Referee: Minh Tri Vo (Vietnam)


Shanghai Shenhua  6–0  Persik Kediri
Xie Hui   8'
Gao Lin   25'
Diego Alonso   79', 87', 90'
Sergio Blanco   86'
(Report)
Attendance: 8,000

Group F

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Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
  Kawasaki Frontale 6 5 1 0 15 4 +11 16
  Chunnam Dragons 6 3 1 2 7 8 −1 10
  Arema Malang 6 1 1 4 2 9 −7 4
  Bangkok University 6 0 3 3 4 7 −3 3
Source: [citation needed]
Arema Malang  1–3  Kawasaki Frontale
Elie Aiboy   12' (Report) Magnum   1', 73'
Kengo Nakamura   82'

Chunnam Dragons  2–0  Arema Malang
Kim Tae-Su   48'
Sandro Cardoso   82'
(Report)
Attendance: 3,000
Referee: Huang Junjie (China)




Group G

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Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
  Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma 6 4 1 1 13 6 +7 13
  Shandong Luneng Taishan 6 4 1 1 12 8 +4 13
  Adelaide United 6 2 2 2 9 6 +3 8
  Gach Dong Tam Long An 6 0 0 6 4 18 −14 0
Source: [citation needed]
Adelaide United  0–1  Shandong Luneng Taishan
(Report) Michael Valkanis   47' (o.g.)
Attendance: 7,645
Referee: Satop Tongkhan (Thailand)


Shandong Luneng Taishan  4–0  Gach Dong Tam Long An
Han Peng   42', 52'
Wang Yongpo   54'
Li Jinyu   74'
(Report)
Attendance: 25,000
Referee: Win Cho (Myanmar)



Knock-out stage

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Bracket

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Quarter finals Semi-finals Final
            
  Sepahan (p) 0 0 0 (5)
  Kawasaki Frontale 0 0 0 (4)
  Sepahan 3 0 3
  Al-Wahda 1 0 1
  Al-Wahda (a) 0 1 1
  Al-Hilal 0 1 1
  Sepahan 1 0 1
  Urawa Red Diamonds 1 2 3
  Seognam Ilhwa Chunma 2 2 4
  Al-Karamah 1 0 1
  Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma 2 2 4 (3)
  Urawa Red Diamonds (p) 2 2 4 (5)
  Urawa Red Diamonds 2 2 4
  Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 1 0 1

Quarter-finals

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Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Sepahan   0–0 (5–4p)   Kawasaki Frontale 0–0 0–0 (a.e.t.)
Al-Wahda   1–1 (a)   Al-Hilal 0–0 1–1
Seognam Ilhwa Chunma   4–1   Al-Karamah 2–1 2–0
Urawa Red Diamonds   4–1   Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
(2006 Champion)
2–1 2–0

First leg

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Sepahan  0–0  Kawasaki Frontale
Report
Attendance: 25,000
Referee: Jasim Karim (Bahrain)

Al-Wahda  0–0  Al-Hilal
Report
Attendance: 12,000


Second leg

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  • Sepahan progress 5–4 on penalties after 0–0 aggregate score

  • Al-Wahda progress on away goals rule with 1–1 aggregate score

  • Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma progress 4–1 on aggregate

  • Urawa Red Diamonds progress 4–1 on aggregate

Semi-finals

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Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Sepahan   3–1   Al-Wahda 3–1 0–0
Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma   4–4 (3–5p)   Urawa Red Diamonds 2–2 2–2 (a.e.t.)

First leg

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Second leg

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  • Urawa Red Diamonds progress 5–3 on penalties after 4–4 aggregate score

Al-Wahda  0–0  Sepahan
Report
Attendance: 13,000
  • Sepahan progress 3–1 on aggregate

Final

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Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Sepahan   1–3   Urawa Red Diamonds 1–1 0–2

First leg

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Second leg

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Urawa Red Diamonds  2–0  Sepahan
Yuichiro Nagai   22'
Yuki Abe   71'
Report
  • Urawa Red Diamonds win 3–1 on aggregate

Top scorers

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Rank Player Club Goals
1   Mota   Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma 7
2   Kim Dong-hyun   Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma 5
  Mehdi Seyed Salehi   Sepahan
4   Rodrigão   Al-Hilal 4
  Firas Al Khatib   Al-Arabi
  Saeed Mohsen   Najaf FC
  Steve Corica   Sydney FC
  Travis Dodd   Adelaide United
  Robson Ponte   Urawa Red Diamonds
10   Magnum   Kawasaki Frontale 3
  Juninho   Kawasaki Frontale
  Kengo Nakamura   Kawasaki Frontale
  Wang Yongpo   Shandong Luneng Taishan
  Li Jinyu   Shandong Luneng Taishan
  Emad Mohammed   Sepahan
  Mahmoud Karimi   Sepahan
  Mamadou Bagayoko   Al-Wahda
  Waleed Al-Gizani   Al-Shabab
  Diego Alonso   Shanghai Shenhua
  Fernando   Adelaide United
  Iyad Mando   Al-Karamah
  Senghor Koupouleni   Al-Karamah
  Tatsuya Tanaka   Urawa Red Diamonds
  Yuichiro Nagai   Urawa Red Diamonds
  Yuki Abe   Urawa Red Diamonds
  Choi Sung-Kuk   Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma

See also

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References

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