Club Logos: UAE - Al Ahli AFC CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2017 GROUP A Club Logos: Saudi Arabia - Al-Taawoun FC Esteghlal FC logo - IRN AL AHLI AL TAAWOUN ESTEGHLAL LOKOMOTIV (UAE) (KSA) (IRN) (UZB) Al Jazira logo - UAE GROUP B Lakhwiya SC - Qatar AL FATEH AL JAZIRA ESTEGHLAL LEKHWIYA (KSA) (UAE) KHOUZESTAN (QAT) (IRN) Club Logos: UAE - Al Ain FC GROUP C Al Ahli FC logo - KSA FC Bunyodkor-Logo - UZB Zobahan logo - IRN AL AIN AL AHLI BUNYODKOR ZOBAHAN i Sau hl di (UAE) A F (KSA) (UZB) (IRN) l- C A ESFAHAN 1937 ZOBAHAN CULTURAL & SPORT CLUB Club Logos: IR Iran - Persepolis FC GROUP D Rayyan FC - Qatar Al Hilal logo - KSA Al Wahda logo - UAE AL HILAL AL RAYYAN PERSEPOLIS AL WAHDA (KSA) (QAT) (IRN) (UAE) Club Logos: Australia - Brisbane Roar FC GROUP E Muangthong Utd FC logo - THA BRISBANE KASHIMA MUANGTHONG ULSAN ROAR ANTLERS UNITED HYUNDAI (AUS) (JPN) (THA) (KOR) Club Logos: China - Shanghai SIPG Club Logos: GROUP F Australia - Western Sydney Wanderers FC Urawa Red Diamonds logo - JPN FC SEOUL SHANGHAI SIPG URAWA RED WESTERN (KOR) (CHN) DIAMONDS SYDNEY (JPN) WANDERERS (AUS) Club Logos: China - Guangzhou Evergrande FC Club Logos: Hong Kong - Eastern Sports Club GROUP G Suwon Blue Wings logo - KOR EASTERN SC GUANGZHOU KAWASAKI SUWON (HKG) EVERGRANDE FRONTALE SAMSUNG (CHN) (JPN) BLUEWINGS (KOR) Club Logos: Australia - Adelaide United FC Club Logos: China - Jiangsu Suning FC Jeju United FC - KOR GROUP H ADELAIDE GAMBA OSAKA JEJU UNITED JIANGSU FC UNITED (JPN) (KOR) (CHN) (AUS) AFC CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2017 TECHNICAL REPORT AND STATISTICS CONTENTS COMPETITION OVERVIEW WINNING COACH 08 24 TECHNICAL TOPICS GOALSCORING ANALYSIS 28 36 TALKING POINTS TEAM PROFILES 40 44 COMPETITION RESULTS REFEREES 110 118 STAR SELECTION BEST GOALS 122 128 PREVIOUS WINNERS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 132 140 6 Foreword by the AFC PRESIDENT The Asian Football Confederation’s (AFC) Champions excellence, the club game in Asia would not be developing League competition in 2017 reinforced its place among the as rapidly as it is and this report will reflect some of the leading Continental club competitions in the world. technical innovations in the competition. Those of us who were privileged to be in Saitama 2002 This report will not only record the performances of the sides Stadium on November 25, 2017 witnessed a stunning who brought colour, passion and skill to the tournament spectacle befitting the AFC Champions League final and but also the latest technical trends and highlight areas in we must congratulate Urawa Red Diamonds of Japan on which football in Asia continues to improve. their success. I am grateful to the AFC Technical Committee, AFC Technical Congratulations must also go to Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal for Director Andy Roxburgh, his Technical Department and their magnificent contribution to an exciting final which the Technical Study Group for the hours they have spent set a new attendance record of 116,800 for the two-legged watching games, analysing videos and identifying trends. final. Another record for this ever-improving competition. This is a valuable record of another memorable season. We must also thank all our competing clubs and Member Associations because without their commitment to Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa AFC President AFC Champions League 2017: Technical Report 7 8 COMPETITION OVERVIEW Competition Overview PLAY-OFF STAGE The AFC Champions League’s qualifying They were joined by Saudi Arabia’s Al- play-off involved 23 clubs from 19 Fateh, who beat FC Nasaf 1-0, while Member Associations competing for the Bunyodkor of Uzbekistan held out for final eight places in the competition’s a 0-0 draw away to Qatar’s El-Jaish, to group stage, joining the 24 clubs which become one of three sides to qualify had qualified automatically. for the group stage by way of a penalty shootout, prevailing 3-1 on spot kicks. Global FC got the 2017 competition underway in historic fashion, defeating Also successful from the penalty spot Singapore’s Tampines Rovers 2-0 in were Korea Republic’s Ulsan Hyundai, the first preliminary round to become who held off a challenge from Hong the first Filipino club to win an AFC Kong’s Kitchee to win 4-3 on penalties Champions League match. after a 1-1 draw, and FC Esteghlal. The Iranian club delighted a massive crowd of Their run was ended, however, in a 6-0 74,560, and returned to the group stage defeat to Australia’s Brisbane Roar in the for the first time since 2014; eliminating second Preliminary Round, while a 123rd Qatar’s Al-Sadd 4-3 in a shootout after a minute goal to Lim Ka Wai ensured Hong 0-0 stalemate. Kong’s Kitchee SC eliminated Vietnam’s out of eight progressing to the final Ha Noi FC 3-2 after extra time in an epic draw. Shanghai SIPG were too good match at the same stage, for Sukhothai; with record signing Shanghai’s Oscar bagging his first goal Kitchee were joined in the final stage by for the club in a 3-0 win, while their city Jordan’s Al-Wehdat and Uzbekistan’s rivals Shanghai Shenhua were surprised FC Nasaf, who overcame Bengaluru FC on home soil by Brisbane Roar, with two and Al Hidd Club respectively, as well as first-half goals by Brandan Borrello and Thailand’’s Sukhothai FC and Malaysia’s Tommy Oar earning a 2-0 win for the Johor Darul Ta’zim, who produced Australian side. a strong away performance to beat another Thai club, Bangkok United, on Elsewhere, 2008 AFC Champions penalties after a 1-1 draw. League winners Gamba Osaka overcame Johor Darul Ta’zim to secure a 3-0 win, The final Playoff stage was largely while Emirati club Al-Wahda won by the dominated by home sides, with six same margin to dash Al-Wehdat’s hopes. 10 AFC Champions League 2017: Technical Report 11 GROUP STAGE - WEST GROUP A The prolific Bikmaev scored five times in six group stage matches - but couldn’t Group A played host to the reigning save the Uzbek champions from league champions of the United Arab elimination - while Esteghlal’s Kevah Emirates, Islamic Republic of Iran and Rezaei added four goals, including Uzbekistan, with Al-Ahli FC (UAE) and crucial equalisers in consecutive matches Esteghlal FC advancing to the knockout against Lokomotiv and Al Taawoun, stage at the expense of FC Lokomotiv before notching the winner against Al and Saudi Arabia’s Al Taawoun in a Taawoun on Matchday Six. hotly contested group that remained in the balance until the final Matchday. GROUP B A dominant Lekhwiya provided The events of Matchday Five will goal threat for Lekhwiya, and constant fifteen goals in six matches to emerge live long in the memory for fans of headaches for their opponents. unbeaten, and five points clear atop a Asian football. With both places in group featuring Esteghlal Khouzestan, the knockout stage still up for grabs, Esteghlal Khouzestan were the other Al-Fateh and the UAE’s Al-Jazira. Esteghlal and Al-Ahli played out a 1-1 club to progress to the knockout stage, draw in front of a huge crowd in excess thanks largely to successive 1-0 wins - Qatar’s Lekhwiya stamped their of 76,000 at Tehran’s Azadi Stadium, over Al-Fateh, then Al-Jazira – in their authority on the group from the very while in Tashkent, Lokomotiv and Al opening two matches. The Iranian club beginning - with star Moroccan striker Taawoun played out a remarkable 4-4 were unable to register another win in Youssef El-Arabi bagging a brace in an draw. their remaining four attempts, but a series opening day 3-0 dismissal of Al-Jazira – of hard-fought draws proved enough to and elimination never appeared likely for With Al Taawoun on the brink of claim second place in the group. Djamel Belmadi’s charges from then on. elimination, Portuguese defender Ricardo Machado’s injury time header Going into the final Matchday, Al-Fateh salvaged a precious point, and kept the The Doha-based club scored in every were just two points adrift of Estehglal Saudis in contention for the knockout match, with their duo of outstanding Khouzestan but the Saudi club suffered stage after Marat Bikmaev’s hat-trick international wingers – Korea the misfortune of facing a rampant had earlier given Lokomotiv a 3-1 lead. Republic’s Nam Tae-hee and Tunisia’s Lekhwiya, who produced four first-half Youssef Msakni – providing a regular goals en route to a 4-1 victory. 12 GROUP C Group D A series of brilliant individual All four clubs were still in contention performances from 2016 AFC Player going into a classic final Matchday of the Year Omar Abdulrahman lit where two matches produced 13 goals up Group C, and ensured Al-Ain of as two of Asia’s biggest clubs, Al-Hilal the United Arab Emirates, along with and Persepolis, reached the knockout Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ahli comfortably stage at the expense of Qatar’s Al- progressed to the Round of 16 at the Rayyan and Al-Wahda of the UAE. expense of Zob Ahan and Bunyodkor. Al-Rayyan hosted Al-Hilal on Matchday Following the club’s defeat in the 2016 Six, and, sitting just two points adrift through Sergio Garcia in the 83rd AFC Champions League Final, the man of the two-time Asian champions, had minute. Garcia’s strike gave Al-Rayyan known as ‘Amoory’ resumed his now their destiny in their own hands, while a chance of progressing, but Syria’s customary role as Al-Ain’s talisman, Islamic Republic of Iran’s Persepolis Omar Khribin stabbed home the but did so with an added potency in winner from a corner kick less than a front of goal, scoring five times in six minute later, to secure a spectacular matches, and hitting the scoresheet 4-3 win for the Saudi club.