2012 AFC Champions League
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The 2012 AFC Champions League was the 31st edition of the top-level Asian club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the 10th under the current AFC Champions League title.
Ulsan Hyundai from South Korea won their first title, defeating Al-Ahli from Saudi Arabia with a 4-1 win in the final.
Allocation of entries per association
The AFC approved criteria for participation in the 2011 and 2012 seasons. The final decision date was set after the Executive Committee meeting in November 2010.
On 30 November 2009, the AFC announced 12 more MA's that were keen to join the ACL, in addition to ten participating national associations. Singapore later withdrew. The full list of candidate associations were as follows:
East Asia
- Participating: Australia Australia, China China PR, Indonesia Indonesia, Japan Japan, South Korea Korea Republic
- Applied to participate: Malaysia Malaysia, Myanmar Myanmar, Thailand Thailand
- Withdrew: Singapore Singapore
- Disqualified: Vietnam Vietnam
West Asia
- Participating: Iran Iran, Qatar Qatar, Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates UAE, Uzbekistan Uzbekistan
- Applied to participate: India India, Iraq Iraq, Jordan Jordan, Oman Oman, Pakistan Pakistan, Palestine Palestine, Tajikistan Tajikistan, Yemen Yemen
Note: India, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam have clubs taking part in play-offs to qualify for the group stages of ACL in 2010.
Entrants per association
It was originally announced that the allocation for entry to the 2012 ACL would stay the same as the previous three seasons with the exception of Vietnam, who were disqualified, and their previous playoff slot was awarded to Qatar. However, following the AFC Executive Committee meeting in November 2011, it was decided that the number of slots for each association to be changed based on evaluation of the AFC Champions League criteria that took place in 2011.
A total of eleven member associations (see below) which participated in the 2011 AFC Champions League was evaluated for participating in the 2012 AFC Champions League. India, which played in the 2011 ACL play-off, was not evaluated and dropped to the AFC Cup. The other member associations which applied but did not meet the criteria for 2011 ACL was not evaluated at all for 2012.
| Evaluation for 2012 ACL | |
|---|---|
| Meet all items of the criteria | |
| Meet some items of the criteria | |
| Do not meet the criteria |
| Member Association | Clubs | Spots | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Asia Member Association Clubs Spots Group stage Play-off AFC Cup Qatar Qatar 12 4 0 0 Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia 14 3 1 0 United Arab Emirates UAE 12 3 1 0 Uzbekistan Uzbekistan 14 [A]3[A] 1 0 Iran Iran 18 2 2 0 Total [A]14[A] 5 — | East Asia Member Association Clubs Spots Group stage Play-off AFC Cup Japan Japan 18 4 0 0 South Korea Korea Republic 15 (16)[B] 3 1 0 China China PR 16 3 [E]1[E] 0 Australia Australia 9 (10)[C] 2 1 0 Thailand Thailand 18 1 1 0 Indonesia Indonesia 24[D] 0 1 1 Total [A]14[A] [E]5[E] — | |||
| Group stage | Play-off | AFC Cup | ||
| Qatar Qatar | 12 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia | 14 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| United Arab Emirates UAE | 12 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Uzbekistan Uzbekistan | 14 | [A]3[A] | 1 | 0 |
| Iran Iran | 18 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Total | [A]14[A] | 5 | — | |
| Member Association | Clubs | Spots | ||
| Group stage | Play-off | AFC Cup | ||
| Japan Japan | 18 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| South Korea Korea Republic | 15 (16)[B] | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| China China PR | 16 | 3 | [E]1[E] | 0 |
| Australia Australia | 9 (10)[C] | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Thailand Thailand | 18 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Indonesia Indonesia | 24[D] | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | [A]14[A] | [E]5[E] | — |
Notes
- A One of the group stage direct entrants from Uzbekistan was moved to the East Zone.
- B One of the K-League clubs, Sangju Sangmu Phoenix, is unable to qualify for the ACL because the team is not a commercial entity and their players are not professionally contracted.
- C While the 2010–11 A-League, the season which qualified Australian clubs to the 2012 ACL, had 11 teams, the 2011–12 A-League, the ongoing season, only has 10 teams after North Queensland Fury was closed, and this number was given in the 2012 ACL evaluation report (page 8). One of the A-League clubs, Wellington Phoenix, is based in New Zealand, an OFC member country, and are unable to qualify for the ACL.
- D This number was given in the 2012 ACL evaluation report (page 8). The 2010–11 Indonesia Super League, the season which qualified Indonesian clubs to the 2012 ACL, had 15 teams, and the 2011–12 Indonesian Premier League, the ongoing top division recognized by the Football Association of Indonesia, has 13 teams. There are two rival "top-division" leagues in Indonesia: the Indonesian Premier League and the Indonesia Super League (the ISL was by then not recognized by the Football Association of Indonesia).
- E China was allocated a berth in the qualifying play-off, but Liaoning Whowin, the 2011 Chinese Super League 3rd place, did not enter the competition. Therefore, only four teams entered the East Zone qualifying play-off.
Teams
A total of 37 teams participated in the 2012 AFC Champions League.
- 28 teams (14 in West Zone, 14 in East Zone) directly entered the group stage.
- 9 teams (5 in West Zone, 4 in East Zone) competed in the qualifying play-off, which was divided into two rounds. The 4 winners (2 in West Zone, 2 in East Zone) qualified for the group stage. Losers of the qualifying play-off final round entered the 2012 AFC Cup group stage. However, losers of the qualifying play-off semi-final round were eliminated from all AFC competitions, a change from previous seasons where they would also enter the AFC Cup.
Notes
- * Number of appearances (including qualifying rounds) since the 2002/03 season, when the competition was rebranded as the AFC Champions League.
- † Bunyodkor (Uzbekistan) was moved to the East Zone.
- ‡ Persipura Jayapura were initially disqualified by the AFC from participating but on appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the CAS ruled on 1 February 2012 that they should be provisionally reinstated to the competition and were entitled to play in the qualifying play-off.
- Al-Kuwait (Kuwait), the 2011 AFC Cup runners-up, failed to fulfil the criteria set by AFC to compete in the 2012 AFC Champions League, and thus directly entered the 2012 AFC Cup. Nasaf Qarshi (Uzbekistan), the 2011 AFC Cup winners, already directly qualified for the group stage based on their domestic performance.
Schedule
Schedule of dates for 2012 competition.
| Phase | Round | Draw date | First leg | Second leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qualifying play-offs | Semi-finals | 6 December 2011 | 10 February 2012 | |
| Finals | 18 February 2012 | |||
| Group stage | Matchday 1 | 6–7 March 2012 | ||
| Matchday 2 | 20–21 March 2012 | |||
| Matchday 3 | 3–4 April 2012 | |||
| Matchday 4 | 17–18 April 2012 | |||
| Matchday 5 | 1–2 May 2012 | |||
| Matchday 6 | 15–16 May 2012 | |||
| Knockout phase | Round of 16 | 22–23 May 2012 (W), 29–30 May 2012 (E) | ||
| Quarter-finals | 14 June 2012 | 19 September 2012 | 2–3 October 2012 | |
| Semi-finals | 24 October 2012 | 31 October 2012 | ||
| Final | 9 or 10 November 2012 at home of one of the finalists |
Qualifying play-off
The draw for the qualifying play-off was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 6 December 2011. The winners advanced to the group stage, while the losers of the final round advanced to the AFC Cup group stage, except the loser of the match between Adelaide United and Persipura Jayapura.
West Zone
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Semi-final Round | ||
| Esteghlal Iran | 2–0 | Iran Zob Ahan |
| Final Round | ||
| Al-Shabab United Arab Emirates | 3–0 | Uzbekistan Neftchi Farg'ona |
| Esteghlal Iran | 3–1 | Saudi Arabia Al-Ettifaq |
East Zone
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Final Round | ||
| Pohang Steelers South Korea | 2–0 | Thailand Chonburi |
| Adelaide United Australia | 3–0 | Indonesia Persipura Jayapura |
Group stage
The draw for the group stage was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 6 December 2011. Clubs from the same country may not be drawn into the same group. The winners and runners-up of each group advanced to the knockout stage.
Group A
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | JAZ | EST | RAY | NQA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United Arab Emirates Al-Jazira | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 10 | +8 | 16 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 1–1 | 3–2 | 4–1 | |
| 2 | Iran Esteghlal | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 3 | +5 | 11 | 1–2 | — | 3–0 | 0–0 | ||
| 3 | Qatar Al-Rayyan | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 12 | −3 | 6 | 3–4 | 0–1 | — | 3–1 | ||
| 4 | Uzbekistan Nasaf Qarshi | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 14 | −10 | 1 | 2–4 | 0–2 | 0–1 | — |
Group B
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | ITT | YAS | PAK | ARA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saudi Arabia Al-Ittihad | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 4 | +9 | 16 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 1–0 | 4–0 | 3–2 | |
| 2 | United Arab Emirates Baniyas | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 2 | +7 | 11 | 0–0 | — | 2–0 | 2–0 | ||
| 3 | Uzbekistan Pakhtakor | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 10 | −4 | 7 | 1–2 | 1–1 | — | 3–1 | ||
| 4 | Qatar Al-Arabi | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 16 | −12 | 0 | 1–3 | 0–4 | 0–1 | — |
Group C
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | SEP | AHL | NAS | LEK | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iran Sepahan | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 4 | +5 | 13 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 2–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | |
| 2 | Saudi Arabia Al-Ahli | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 6 | +4 | 10 | 1–1 | — | 3–1 | 3–0 | ||
| 3 | United Arab Emirates Al-Nasr | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 11 | −5 | 6 | 0–3 | 1–2 | — | 2–1 | ||
| 4 | Qatar Lekhwiya | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 9 | −4 | 6 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–2 | — |
Group D
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | HIL | PER | GHA | SHA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 7 | +3 | 12 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | |
| 2 | Iran Persepolis | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 14 | 5 | +9 | 11 | 0–1 | — | 1–1 | 6–1 | ||
| 3 | Qatar Al-Gharafa | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 10 | −3 | 6 | 3–3 | 0–3 | — | 2–1 | ||
| 4 | United Arab Emirates Al-Shabab | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 14 | −9 | 2 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 0–0 | — |
Group E
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | ADE | BYD | POH | GMB | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Australia Adelaide United | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 2 | +5 | 13 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 0–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | |
| 2 | Uzbekistan Bunyodkor | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 7 | +1 | 10 | 1–2 | — | 1–0 | 3–2 | ||
| 3 | South Korea Pohang Steelers | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 9 | 1–0 | 0–2 | — | 2–0 | ||
| 4 | Japan Gamba Osaka | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 13 | −8 | 3 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 0–3 | — |
Group F
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | ULS | TOK | BBR | BEG | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Korea Ulsan Hyundai | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 7 | +4 | 14 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | |
| 2 | Japan FC Tokyo | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 6 | +6 | 11 | 2–2 | — | 4–2 | 3–0 | ||
| 3 | Australia Brisbane Roar | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 11 | −5 | 3 | 1–2 | 0–2 | — | 1–1 | ||
| 4 | China Beijing Guoan | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 11 | −5 | 3 | 2–3 | 1–1 | 1–1 | — |
Group G
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | SIC | NGY | CCM | TTD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Korea Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 13 | 5 | +8 | 10 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 1–1 | 5–0 | 1–1 | |
| 2 | Japan Nagoya Grampus | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 4 | +6 | 10 | 2–2 | — | 3–0 | 0–0 | ||
| 3 | Australia Central Coast Mariners | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 11 | −4 | 6 | 1–1 | 1–1 | — | 5–1 | ||
| 4 | China Tianjin Teda | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 12 | −10 | 3 | 0–3 | 0–3 | 0–0 | — |
Group H
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | GEG | KSR | JHM | BRU | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China Guangzhou Evergrande | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 8 | +4 | 10 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 3–1 | 1–3 | 1–2 | |
| 2 | Japan Kashiwa Reysol | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 7 | +4 | 10 | 0–0 | — | 5–1 | 1–0 | ||
| 3 | South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 15 | −5 | 9 | 1–5 | 0–2 | — | 3–2 | ||
| 4 | Thailand Buriram United | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 11 | −3 | 6 | 1–2 | 3–2 | 0–2 | — |
Knockout stage
Bracket
Round of 16
The matchups for the round of 16 were decided based on the results from the group stage. Each tie was played as one match, hosted by the winners of each group (Team 1) against the runners-up of another group (Team 2).
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Al-Jazira United Arab Emirates | 3–3 (aet) (2–4 p) | Saudi Arabia Al-Ahli |
| Sepahan Iran | 2–0 | Iran Esteghlal |
| Al-Ittihad Saudi Arabia | 3–0 | Iran Persepolis |
| Al-Hilal Saudi Arabia | 7–1 | United Arab Emirates Baniyas |
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Adelaide United Australia | 1–0 | Japan Nagoya Grampus |
| Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma South Korea | 0–1 | Uzbekistan Bunyodkor |
| Ulsan Hyundai South Korea | 3–2 | Japan Kashiwa Reysol |
| Guangzhou Evergrande China | 1–0 | Japan FC Tokyo |
Quarter-finals
The draw for the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 14 June 2012. It determined the matchups for the quarter-finals and semi-finals as well as the potential host for the final.
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Al-Ittihad Saudi Arabia | 5–4 | China Guangzhou Evergrande | 4–2 | 1–2 |
| Sepahan Iran | 1–4 | Saudi Arabia Al-Ahli | 0–0 | 1–4 |
| Adelaide United Australia | 4–5 | Uzbekistan Bunyodkor | 2–2 | 2–3 (a.e.t.) |
| Ulsan Hyundai South Korea | 5–0 | Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal | 1–0 | 4–0 |
Semi-finals
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Al-Ittihad Saudi Arabia | 1–2 | Saudi Arabia Al-Ahli | 1–0 | 0–2 |
| Bunyodkor Uzbekistan | 1–5 | South Korea Ulsan Hyundai | 1–3 | 0–2 |
Final
The final of the 2012 AFC Champions League was hosted by one of the finalists, decided by a draw. According to the draw on 14 June 2012, the winner of semi-final 2 would host the final. Therefore, Ulsan Hyundai was the home team.
| Ulsan Hyundai South Korea | 3–0 | Saudi Arabia Al-Ahli |
|---|---|---|
| Kwak Tae-Hwi 13' Rafinha 68' Kim Seung-Yong 75' |
Top scorers
| Rank | Player | Club | MD1 | MD2 | MD3 | MD4 | MD5 | MD6 | R16 | QF1 | QF2 | SF1 | SF2 | 0F0 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brazil Ricardo Oliveira | United Arab Emirates Al-Jazira | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 12 | ||||||
| 2 | Saudi Arabia Naif Hazazi | Saudi Arabia Al-Ittihad | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 8 | ||||||
| 3 | Brazil Rafinha | Japan Gamba Osaka (GS) South Korea Ulsan Hyundai (QF+SF+F) | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | |||||||
| Brazil Victor Simões | Saudi Arabia Al-Ahli | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | ||||||
| 5 | Argentina Darío Conca | China Guangzhou Evergrande | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | |||||||
| South Korea Kim Shin-Wook | South Korea Ulsan Hyundai | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | |||||||
| 7 | Libya Éamon Zayed | Iran Persepolis | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 | |||||||||
| Brazil Bruno Correa | Iran Sepahan | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | ||||||||
| Brazil Leandro Domingues | Japan Kashiwa Reysol | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | |||||||||
| South Korea Yoo Byung-Soo | Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal | 1 | 4 | 5 | |||||||||||
| Ivory Coast Amara Diané | United Arab Emirates Al-Nasr | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
Note: Goals scored in qualifying play-off not counted.
Source: