2009 AFC Champions League

Tournament details
Dates	10 March 2009 - 7 November 2009
Teams	32
Final positions
Champions	Pohang Steelers
Runner-up	Al-Ittihad
Tournament statistics
Matches played	110
Goals scored	326 (2.96 per match)
Attendance	1,364,801 (12,407 per match)
Top scorer(s)	Leandro (10 goals)
Best player	Noh Byung-Joon (Pohang Steelers)
← 2008 2010 →

The AFC Champions League 2009 is the 28th AFC Champions League, the top-level Asian club football tournament, and the 7th under the current AFC Champions League title. The final will take place at National Stadium in Tokyo, Japan on November 7. The winners will qualify for 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 will be added so that the runners up as well as the winners from the group stage will progress. The previous season winner will no longer get a bye through to the knockout round. Each team is allowed to field a maximum of four foreign players this season, one of whom must 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]

[edit] Qualification

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

[edit] 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

East Asia Pos Member Association Points (total 500) Clubs Spots Group stage Play-off AFC Cup 1 Japan 470 18 4 0 0 2 South Korea 441 14 4 0 0 3 China 431 16 4 0 0 6 Australia 343 8 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

[edit] Allocation of entries

Below is the qualification scheme for the 2009 Champions League:

Qualifying play-off: (5 teams)

• United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, India each have 1 team qualify

Group stage: (32 teams)

• 2 qualifying play-off entries
• 4 teams qualify: Japan, China, Iran, South Korea, Saudi Arabia
• 3 teams qualify: United Arab Emirates
• 2 teams qualify: Australia, Uzbekistan, Qatar
• 1 team qualify: Indonesia

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	V-League 2008 champions
Muharraq	AFC Cup 2008 winners
Safa	AFC Cup 2008 runners-up

[edit] Qualified teams

[edit] West Asia (Group A-D) Team Qualification App* Group stage Persepolis Persian Gulf Cup 2007-08 champions 2nd Esteghlal Hazfi Cup 2007-08 winners 2nd Sepahan Persian Gulf Cup 2007-08 runners-up 5th Saba Battery Persian Gulf Cup 2007-08 3rd place 2nd Al-Hilal Saudi Saudi Premier League 2007-08 champions 5th Al-Shabab Saudi Champions Cup 2007-08 winners 4th Al-Ittihad Jeddah Saudi Premier League 2007-08 runners-up 5th Al-Ettifaq Saudi Premier League 2007-08 4th place 1st Al-Shabab Al-Arabi UAE League 2007-08 champions 1st Al-Ahli Dubai UAE President Cup 2007-08 winners 2nd Al-Jazira UAE League 2007-08 runners-up 1st Bunyodkor Uzbek League 2008 champions 2nd Pakhtakor Tashkent Uzbek League 2008 runners-up 7th Al-Gharafa Qatar Stars League 2007-08 champions 3rd Umm-Salal Emir of Qatar Cup 2007-08 winners 1st Qualifying play-off winners Sharjah UAE League 2007-08 4th place 2nd Qualifying play-off participants Dempo I-League 2007-08 champions —

[edit] East Asia (Group E-H) Team Qualification App* Group stage Kashima Antlers J. League 2008 champions 3rd Gamba Osaka Emperor's Cup 2008 winners 3rd Kawasaki Frontale J. League 2008 runners-up 2nd Nagoya Grampus J. League 2008 3rd place 1st Shandong Luneng Taishan Chinese Super League 2008 champions 3rd Shanghai Shenhua Chinese Super League 2008 runners-up 5th Beijing Guoan Chinese Super League 2008 3rd place 2nd Tianjin Teda Chinese Super League 2008 4th place 1st Newcastle United Jets A-League 2007–08 champions 1st Central Coast Mariners A-League 2007–08 premiers 1st Suwon Samsung Bluewings K-League 2008 champions 2nd Pohang Steelers Korean FA Cup 2008 winners 2nd FC Seoul K-League 2008 runners-up 1st Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i K-League 2008 3rd place 2nd Sriwijaya Liga Indonesia 2007 champions 1st Qualifying play-off winners Singapore Armed Forces S. League 2008 champions 1st Qualifying play-off participants PSMS Medan Liga Indonesia 2007 runners-up — PEA Thailand Premier League 2008 champions —

* Number of appearance in the group stage since the 2002/03 season, including quarterfinals appreance for the defending champions during 2004-2008 seasons

[edit] Schedule

[edit] 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

[edit] 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.

• Match Day 1: 1 vs 4, 3 vs 2
• Match Day 2: 2 vs 1, 4 vs 3
• Match Day 3: 1 vs 3, 4 vs 2
• Match Day 4: 3 vs 1, 2 vs 4
• Match Day 5: 4 vs 1, 2 vs 3
• Match Day 6: 1 vs 2, 3 vs 4

Clubs receive 3 points for a win, 1 point for a tie, 0 points for a loss.

Tie-breaking criteria

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.

[edit] Group A

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Al-Hilal 6 4 2 0 10 4 +6 14 Pakhtakor Tashkent 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

[edit] 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. All results were declared null and void.^[3]

[edit] 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

[edit] 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 Al-Arabi 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

[edit] 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

[edit] 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

[edit] 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

[edit] 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

[edit] Knockout stage

[edit] 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 Tashkent
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

[edit] 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 Tashkent	1–5	Al-Ittihad	1–1	0–4
Bunyodkor	4–5	Pohang Steelers	3–1	1–4 (aet)

[edit] Semi-finals

The first leg matches will be played on 21 October, with the second leg matches will be 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

[edit] Final

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

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'

[edit] Champions

AFC Champions League 2009 Winners
Pohang Steelers Third Title

Pohang Steelers qualify for the 2009 FIFA Club World Cup in the UAE.

[edit] Topscorers

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	FC Pakhtakor Tashkent	1	1	1		1		1						5
	Araújo	Al-Gharafa	1	1		3									5

[edit] Fair Play Award

Pohang Steelers^[4]

[edit] See also

• 2009 AFC Champions League Final
• 2009 FIFA Club World Cup

[edit] Notes and references

[edit] External links

• AFC Champions League Official Page (English)