2015 AFC Cup

The 2015 AFC Cup was the 12th edition of the AFC Cup, Asia's secondary club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).[1]

2015 AFC Cup
Tournament details
Dates9 February – 31 October 2015
Teams41 (from 23 associations)
Final positions
Champions Johor Darul Ta'zim (1st title)
Runners-up Istiklol
Tournament statistics
Matches played122
Goals scored339 (2.78 per match)
Attendance496,305 (4,068 per match)
Top scorer(s) Daniel McBreen
Riste Naumov
(8 goals each)
Best player(s) Mohd Safiq Rahim

Johor Darul Ta'zim won the tournament after defeating Istiklol in the final.

Al-Qadsia were the defending champions, but they were eliminated in the semi-finals after the Kuwait Football Association was suspended by FIFA.

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 member associations 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 2015 and 2016 editions of the AFC club competitions determined by the 2014 rankings:[4]

  • The top 24 member associations (MAs) as per the AFC rankings which do not receive direct slots in the AFC Champions League are eligible to participate in the AFC Cup group stage (including losers of the AFC Champions League qualifying play-off).
  • The MAs ranked 25 to 32 are eligible to participate in the AFC Cup group stage, and the associations ranked 33 to 47 are eligible to participate in the AFC Cup qualifying play-off (including those of "emerging countries" which participated in the AFC President's Cup, whose last edition was in 2014).

The AFC Competitions Committee decided on the participation of member associations in the 2015 and 2016 editions of the AFC Cup on 28 November 2014.[5][6][7]

Participation for 2015 AFC Cup[6]
Participating
Not participating
Notes
  1. ^
    Iraq were given special entry to the 2015 AFC Cup, since they were not allowed to participate in the 2015 AFC Champions League as none of their teams passed the club licensing requirements for 2015.
  2. ^ a b
    Lebanon and Syria were not allowed to participate in the 2015 AFC Champions League as none of their teams passed the club licensing requirements for 2015, so their champions directly entered the AFC Cup group stage instead of playing in the AFC Champions League qualifying play-off.
  3. ^
    Afghanistan were allocated one group stage slot and one play-off slot for the 2015 and 2016 AFC Cup, but did not submit an entry for the 2015 AFC Cup.
  4. ^
    Turkmenistan were allocated one group stage slot and one play-off slot for the 2015 and 2016 AFC Cup, but both teams entered the qualifying play-off for the 2015 AFC Cup due to Iraq's participation.
  5. ^ a b
    Kyrgyzstan and Yemen were allocated one play-off slot for the 2015 AFC Cup due to participation in the 2014 AFC Cup.
  6. ^ a b
    Bangladesh and Nepal were allocated one play-off slot for the 2015 AFC Cup due to results in the 2014 AFC President's Cup.
  7. ^
    Myanmar were allocated one group stage slot and one play-off slot for the 2015 and 2016 AFC Cup, but both teams entered the group stage for the 2015 AFC Cup due to North Korea's withdrawal.
  8. ^ a b c
    Malaysia, India and Singapore were allocated one group stage slot and one play-off slot for the 2015 and 2016 AFC Cup, but both teams entered the group stage for the 2015 AFC Cup due to lack of play-off teams in the East Zone.
  9. ^
    North Korea were allocated one group stage slot and one play-off slot for the 2015 and 2016 AFC Cup, but withdrew from the 2015 AFC Cup.
  10. ^
    Laos were allocated one group stage slot and one play-off slot for the 2015 and 2016 AFC Cup, but only one team entered the 2015 AFC Cup.

Teams

The following 41 teams from 23 associations entered the competition.[8]

Teams in italics played in the 2015 AFC Champions League qualifying play-off, but failed to advance to the AFC Champions League group stage (had they advanced to the AFC Champions League group stage, they would have been replaced by another team from the same association).

Notes
  1. ^
    Bahrain (BHR): Al-Hidd entered the AFC Cup instead of East Riffa, the 2014 Bahraini King's Cup winners.[9][10]
  2. ^
    India (IND): East Bengal entered the AFC Cup instead of Churchill Brothers, the 2013–14 Indian Federation Cup winners.[11]
  3. ^
    Indonesia (IDN): Since the Piala Indonesia had to be cancelled due to tightness of schedule caused by the parliamentary and presidential elections, the Indonesia Super League runners-up were chosen to represent Indonesia in the AFC Cup.
  4. ^
    Iraq (IRQ): Due to the worsening war situation and increased unrest in the country, the Iraq Football Association cancelled the remainder of the 2013–14 Iraqi football season on 18 June 2014. The standings at the point of cancellation were declared as final, meaning Al-Shorta and Erbil finished as the 2013–14 Iraqi Premier League champions and runners-up respectively.[12]
  5. ^
    Jordan (JOR): Al-Jazeera entered the AFC Cup instead of Al-Faisaly, the 2013–14 Jordan League runners-up.[13]
  6. ^
    Philippines (PHI): The Philippine Football Federation confirmed that the UFL Division 1 champions (entering group stage) and the UFL FA League Cup winners (entering play-off) were chosen to represent the Philippines in the AFC Cup.[14]
Al-Shorta
Jordan
Teams from Jordan:
Al-Wehdat
Al-Jazeera
Fanja (p)
Riffa
Al-Hidd (p)
Lebanon
Teams from Lebanon:
Al-Nejmeh
Salam Zgharta (p)
Syria
Teams from Syria:
Al-Wahda
Al-Jaish (p)
Palestine
Teams from Palestine:
Taraji Wadi Al-Nes
Hilal Al-Quds (p)
Altyn Asyr (p)
Ahal (p)
Dordoi (p)
Ceres (p)
Location of teams of the 2015 AFC Cup.
West Zone
East Zone
(p) Qualifying play-off participants

Schedule

The schedule of the competition was as follows (all draws were held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia).[15]

Stage Round Draw date First leg Second leg
Preliminary stage Preliminary round No draw 9–10 February 2015
Play-off stage Play-off round 17 February 2015
Group stage Matchday 1 11 December 2014 24–25 February 2015
Matchday 2 10–11 March 2015
Matchday 3 17–18 March 2015
Matchday 4 14–15 April 2015
Matchday 5 28–29 April 2015
Matchday 6 12–13 May 2015
Knockout stage Round of 16 26–27 May 2015
Quarter-finals 18 June 2015 25–26 August 2015 15–16 September 2015
Semi-finals 29–30 September 2015 20–21 October 2015
Final 31 October 2015

Qualifying play-off
Main article: 2015 AFC Cup qualifying play-off

The bracket for the qualifying play-off, which consisted of two rounds (preliminary round and play-off round), was determined by the AFC based on the association ranking of each team.[16] Each tie was played as a single match, with the team from the higher-ranked association hosting the match. Extra time and penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winner if necessary. The winners of each tie in the play-off round advanced to the group stage to join the 27 automatic qualifiers.[1]

Preliminary round
Team 1  Score  Team 2
West Zone
Ahal 1–0 Dordoi
Altyn Asyr 0–1 Al-Saqr
Khayr Vahdat 1–0 Sheikh Russel
Hilal Al-Quds w/o[K] Manang Marshyangdi Club
Notes
  1. ^
    Manang Marshyangdi Club withdrew.[17]

Play-off round
Team 1  Score  Team 2
West Zone
Fanja 2–3 Ahal
Al-Hidd 2–1 Al-Saqr
Salam Zgharta 3–0 Khayr Vahdat
Al-Jaish 0–0 (a.e.t.)
(5–4 p)		 Hilal Al-Quds
East Zone
Maziya 1–0 Ceres

Group stage
Main article: 2015 AFC Cup group stage

The draw for the group stage was held on 11 December 2014.[16] The 32 teams were drawn into eight groups of four. Teams from the same association could not be drawn into the same group. 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.

Tiebreakers

The teams were ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If tied on points, tiebreakers would be applied in the following order:[1]

  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;
  3. Greater number of goals scored in the group matches between the teams concerned;
  4. Greater number of away goals scored in the group matches between the teams concerned;
  5. If, after applying criteria 1 to 4, teams still have an equal ranking, criteria 1 to 4 are reapplied exclusively to the matches between the teams in question to determine their final rankings. If this procedure does not lead to a decision, criteria 6 to 10 apply;
  6. Goal difference in all the group matches;
  7. Greater number of goals scored in all the group matches;
  8. Penalty shoot-out if only two teams are involved and they are both on the field of play;
  9. Fewer score calculated according to the number of yellow and red cards received in the group matches (1 point for a single yellow card, 3 points for a red card as a consequence of two yellow cards, 3 points for a direct red card, 4 points for a yellow card followed by a direct red card);
  10. Team who belongs to the member association with the higher AFC ranking.

Group A
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification WEH WAH NAH SZG
1 Al-Wehdat 6 4 1 1 16 3 +13 13 Advance to knockout stage — 0–1 4–0 5–1
2 Al-Wahda 6 3 2 1 8 4 +4 11 1–1 — 1–2 3–1
3 Al-Nahda 6 2 1 3 7 11 −4 7 0–3 0–0 — 4–1
4 Salam Zgharta 6 1 0 5 5 18 −13 3 0–3 0–2 2–1 —
Source: AFC

Group B
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification SHO JAZ TWN HID
1 Al-Shorta 6 2 3 1 14 7 +7 9 Advance to knockout stage — 4–0 6–2 2–2
2 Al-Jazeera 6 2 3 1 6 7 −1 9 1–1 — 2–0 1–0
3 Taraji Wadi Al-Nes 6 1 3 2 6 11 −5 6 1–0 1–1 — 1–1
4 Al-Hidd 6 0 5 1 6 7 −1 5 1–1 1–1 1–1 —
Source: AFC

Group C
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification IST QAD ERB AHA
1 Istiklol 6 3 2 1 12 8 +4 11 Advance to knockout stage — 2–0 1–3 5–2
2 Al-Qadsia 6 3 1 2 7 6 +1 10 2–2 — 1–2 2–0
3 Erbil 6 2 1 3 8 8 0 7 0–0 0–1 — 2–3
4 Ahal 6 2 0 4 8 13 −5 6 1–2 0–1 2–1 —
Source: AFC

Group D
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification JAI KUW RIF NEJ
1 Al-Jaish 6 4 2 0 6 1 +5 14 Advance to knockout stage — 0–0 1–1 1–0
2 Al-Kuwait 6 3 1 2 9 6 +3 10 0–1 — 2–1 4–1
3 Riffa 6 2 2 2 7 7 0 8 0–1 2–1 — 2–1
4 Al-Nejmeh 6 0 1 5 4 12 −8 1 0–2 1–2 1–1 —
Source: AFC

Group E
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification PSJ BGL MAZ WAR
1 Persipura Jayapura 6 5 1 0 17 4 +13 16 Advance to knockout stage — 3–1 0–0 6–0
2 Bengaluru FC 6 4 0 2 8 8 0 12 1–3 — 2–1 1–0
3 Maziya 6 2 1 3 7 6 +1 7 1–2 1–2 — 2–0
4 Warriors 6 0 0 6 1 15 −14 0 1–3 0–1 0–2 —
Source: AFC

Group F
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification JDT KIT EBG BAL
1 Johor Darul Ta'zim 6 5 0 1 11 3 +8 15 Advance to knockout stage — 2–0 4–1 3–0
2 Kitchee 6 3 2 1 10 6 +4 11 2–0 — 2–2 3–0
3 East Bengal 6 1 2 3 8 10 −2 5 0–1 1–1 — 3–0
4 Balestier Khalsa 6 1 0 5 3 13 −10 3 0–1 1–2 2–1 —
Source: AFC

Group G
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification SCA PAH GLO YAD
1 South China 6 6 0 0 19 3 +16 18 Advance to knockout stage — 3–1 3–0 3–1
2 Pahang 6 2 2 2 11 10 +1 8 0–1 — 0–0 7–4
3 Global 6 1 2 3 5 12 −7 5 1–6 0–0 — 4–1
4 Yadanarbon 6 1 0 5 10 20 −10 3 0–3 2–3 2–0 —
Source: AFC

Group H
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification PSB AYE NRA LAO
1 Persib Bandung 6 3 3 0 10 5 +5 12 Advance to knockout stage — 3–3 4–1 1–0
2 Ayeyawady United 6 2 4 0 13 9 +4 10 1–1 — 0–0 4–3
3 New Radiant 6 1 2 3 4 10 −6 5 0–1 0–3 — 2–1
4 Lao Toyota FC 6 0 3 3 7 10 −3 3 0–0 2–2 1–1 —
Source: AFC

Knockout stage
Main article: 2015 AFC Cup knockout stage

In the knockout stage, the 16 teams played a single-elimination tournament. In the quarter-finals and semi-finals, each tie was played on a home-and-away two-legged basis, while in the round of 16 and final, each tie was played as a single match. The away goals rule (for two-legged ties), extra time (away goals would not apply in extra time) and penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winner if necessary.[1]

Bracket
  Round of 16 Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
                                     
Al-Shorta 0  
Al-Kuwait 2  
  Al-Kuwait 6 1 7  
  Kitchee 0 1 1  
Persib Bandung 0
Kitchee 2  
  Al-Kuwait 4 — —  
  Istiklol (w/o) 0 — —  
Istiklol (pen.) 1(4)  
Al-Wahda 1(2)  
  Istiklol 4 1 5
  Pahang 0 3 3  
Persipura Jayapura 0
Pahang (awd.) 3  
  Istiklol 0
  Johor Darul Ta'zim 1
Al-Wehdat 0  
Al-Qadsia 1  
  Al-Qadsia 3 0 3
  Al-Jaish 0 2 2  
Al-Jaish 1
Al-Jazeera 0  
  Al-Qadsia 3 — —
  Johor Darul Ta'zim (w/o) 1 — —  
Johor Darul Ta'zim 5  
Ayeyawady United 0  
  Johor Darul Ta'zim 1 3 4
  South China 1 1 2  
South China 2
Bengaluru FC 0  

Round of 16

In the round of 16, the winners of one group played the runners-up of another group in the same zone, with the group winners hosting the match.

Team 1  Score  Team 2
West Zone
Al-Wehdat 0–1 Al-Qadsia
Istiklol 1–1 (a.e.t.)
(4–2 p)		 Al-Wahda
Al-Shorta 0–2 Al-Kuwait
Al-Jaish 1–0 Al-Jazeera
East Zone
Persipura Jayapura 0–3 (awd.)[L] Pahang
South China 2–0 Bengaluru FC
Johor Darul Ta'zim 5–0 Ayeyawady United
Persib Bandung 0–2 Kitchee
Notes
  1. ^
    The Persipura Jayapura v Pahang match was not played as scheduled as Pahang players were denied entry into Indonesia due to visa issues.[18] The AFC announced on 10 June 2015 that as a result, Persipura Jayapura forfeited the match and was considered to have lost the match by 3–0, based on the AFC Cup 2015 Competition Regulations and the AFC Disciplinary Code.[19]

Quarter-finals

The draw for the quarter-finals was held on 18 June 2015. Teams from different zones could be drawn into the same tie, and there was no seeding or country protection, so teams from the same association could be drawn into the same tie.[20]

Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Al-Qadsia 3–2 Al-Jaish 3–0 0–2
Johor Darul Ta'zim 4–2 South China 1–1 3–1
Al-Kuwait 7–1 Kitchee 6–0 1–1
Istiklol 5–3 Pahang 4–0 1–3

Semi-finals

In the semi-finals, the matchups were determined by the quarter-final draw.[20]

Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Al-Qadsia w/o[M] Johor Darul Ta'zim 3–1 Cancelled
Al-Kuwait w/o[M] Istiklol 4–0 Cancelled
Notes
  1. ^ a b
    On 16 October 2015, the Kuwait Football Association was suspended by FIFA.[21] As a result, both Al-Qadsia and Al-Kuwait were no longer eligible to compete in the AFC Cup. The second legs of both semi-finals were cancelled, and Johor Darul Ta'zim and Istiklol advanced to the final by walkover.[22]

Final
Main article: 2015 AFC Cup Final

In the final, the host team was determined by a draw, held after the quarter-final draw.[20]

Istiklol 0–1 Johor Darul Ta'zim
Report Velázquez  23'
Attendance: 18,000
Referee: Minoru Tōjō (Japan)

Awards
Award Player Team
Most Valuable Player[23] Mohd Safiq Rahim Johor Darul Ta'zim
Top Goalscorer Daniel McBreen South China
Riste Naumov Ayeyawady United

Top scorers
Rank Player Team MD1 MD2 MD3 MD4 MD5 MD6  2R  QF1 QF2 SF1 SF2   F   Total
1 Daniel McBreen South China 21122 8
Riste Naumov Ayeyawady United 2222 8
3 Dickson Nwakaeme Pahang 123 6
4 Juan Belencoso Kitchee 1121 5
Mahama Awal South China 2111 5
Boaz Solossa Persipura Jayapura 1121 5
Rogerinho Al-Kuwait 212 5
Bader Al-Mutawa Al-Qadsia 2111 5
Luciano Figueroa Johor Darul Ta'zim 1121 5
10 Ranti Martins East Bengal 1111 4
Marwan Hussein Al-Shorta 22 4
Mahmoud Za'tara Al-Wehdat 211 4
Vinícius Al-Kuwait 13 4
Safee Sali Johor Darul Ta'zim 112 4
Mohd Safiq Rahim Johor Darul Ta'zim 1111 4
Edison Fonseca Ayeyawady United 112 4
Manuchekhr Dzhalilov Istiklol 112 4
Khurshed Makhmudov Istiklol 1111 4

Note: Goals scored in qualifying play-off not counted when determining top scorer (see regulations, Article 77.4).[1][24]

Source: the-AFC.com[25][26][27]

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See also

References
  1. "AFC Cup 2015 Competition Regulations" (PDF). AFC.
  2. "Revamp of AFC competitions". AFC. 25 January 2014.
  3. "ExCo approves expanded AFC Asian Cup finals". AFC. 16 April 2014.
  4. "AFC MA Ranking as at 3 November 2014" (PDF). AFC.
  5. "AFC Competitions Committee meeting". AFC. 28 November 2014.
  6. "AFC Cup slots decided for 2015-2016 editions". AFC. 4 December 2014.
  7. "Slot allocation for AFC Cup 2015 - 2016" (PDF). AFC.
  8. "AFC Cup 2015: The contenders..." AFC. 10 December 2014.
  9. "الحد يتهم الاتحاد البحريني بالتقصير". Kooora. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  10. "BFA affirms adressing [sic] AFC regarding Al Hidd's participation". BFA. Archived from the original on 2014-12-14. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  11. "East Bengal Get Berth in AFC Cup East Zone". NDTV. Archived from the original on 10 December 2014. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
  12. "Iraq Football Association cancels remainder of the league as Al-Shorta crowned champions". Shakwmakw.com. 24 June 2014. Archived from the original on 13 September 2014.CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link)
  13. "الجزيرة مرشح قوي لخلافة الفيصلي بكأس الاتحاد الاسيوي". Gerasa News. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
  14. "Global FC to represent Philippines in AFC Cup as Ceres-La Salle gains playoff berth". 13 December 2014.
  15. "AFC Calendar of Competitions 2015" (PDF). AFC.
  16. "AFC Cup 2015 Draw". AFC. 12 December 2014.
  17. "MMC Not To Play AFC Cup Play Off Against Al Quids Hilal". GoalNepal.com. 29 January 2015.
  18. "Statement on Persipura Jayapura v Pahang FA AFC Cup Round of 16 fixture". AFC. 25 May 2015.
  19. "Persipura Jayapura forfeit AFC Cup match v Pahang FA". AFC. 10 June 2015.
  20. "AFC Cup 2015 Quarter-finals draw concluded". AFC. 18 June 2015.
  21. "Suspension of the Kuwait Football Association". FIFA.com. 16 October 2015.
  22. "FIFA Suspension of Kuwait FA: AFC Cup implications". AFC. 17 October 2015.
  23. "JDT skipper Safiq Rahim named AFC Cup final MVP". AFC. 31 October 2015.
  24. "Top Goal Scorers (by Stage) – 2015 AFC Cup Playoff". AFC.com.
  25. "Top Goal Scorers (by Stage) – 2015 AFC Cup Group Stage". AFC.com.
  26. "Top Goal Scorers (by Stage) – 2015 AFC Cup Round of 16". AFC.com.
  27. "Top Goal Scorers (by Stage) – 2015 AFC Cup Knockout Stage". AFC.com.
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