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2018 AFC Champions League

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2018 AFC Champions League
Tournament details
DatesQualifying:
16–30 January 2018
Competition proper:
12 February – 10 November 2018
TeamsCompetition proper: 32
Total: 46 (from 20 associations)
Final positions
ChampionsKashima Antlers (1st title)
Runners-upPersepolis
Tournament statistics
Matches played126
Goals scored364 (2.89 per match)
Attendance1,876,986 (14,897 per match)
Top scorer(s)Baghdad Bounedjah (13 goals)
Best player(s)Yuma Suzuki
Fair play awardPersepolis
← 2017
2019 →

The 2018 AFC Champions League was the 37th edition of Asia's premier club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the 16th under the current AFC Champions League title.

Kashima Antlers won the title for the first time, defeating Persepolis in the final, and qualified as the AFC representative at the 2018 FIFA Club World Cup in the United Arab Emirates.[1]

Urawa Red Diamonds were the title holders, but they were unable to defend their title as they finished seventh in the 2017 J1 League and were eliminated in the fourth round of the 2017 Emperor's Cup, thus did not qualify for the tournament. It marked the second season in a row without title holders after Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors were disqualified in 2017 as a result of their involvement in a match-fixing scandal in 2016.

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 46 AFC member associations (excluding the associate member Northern Mariana Islands) 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 2017 and 2018 editions of the AFC club competitions determined by the 2016 AFC rankings (Entry Manual Article 2.2):[4]

  • The associations were split into two regions:
  • In each region, there are four groups in the group stage, including a total of 12 direct slots, with the 4 remaining slots filled through play-offs.
  • The top 12 associations in each region as per the AFC rankings are eligible to enter the AFC Champions League, as long as they fulfill the AFC Champions League criteria.
  • The top six associations in each region get at least one direct slot in the group stage, while the remaining associations get only play-off slots (as well as AFC Cup group stage slots):
    • The associations ranked 1st and 2nd each get three direct slots and one play-off slot.
    • The associations ranked 3rd and 4th each get two direct slots and two play-off slots.
    • The associations ranked 5th each get one direct slot and two play-off slots.
    • The associations ranked 6th each get one direct slot and one play-off slot.
    • The associations ranked 7th to 12th each get one play-off slot.
  • The maximum number of slots for each association is one-third of the total number of eligible teams in the top division.
  • If any association gives up its direct slots, they are redistributed to the highest eligible association, with each association limited to a maximum of three direct slots.
  • If any association gives up its play-off slots, they are annulled and not redistributed to any other association.

For the 2018 AFC Champions League, the associations are allocated slots according to their association ranking published on 30 November 2016,[5] which takes into account their performance in the AFC Champions League and the AFC Cup, as well as their national team's FIFA World Rankings, during the period between 2013 and 2016.[4][6]

Participation for 2018 AFC Champions League
Participating
Not participating
Notes
  1. ^
    Australia (AUS): The top division run by the Football Federation Australia, the A-League, only have nine Australia-based teams in the 2016–17 season, so Australia can only get a maximum of three total slots (Entry Manual 5.4).[4]
  2. ^
    Iraq (IRQ): Iraq did not implement the AFC Champions League club licensing system.[7]
  3. ^
    Kuwait (KUW): Kuwait could not enter due to FIFA's suspension of the Kuwait Football Association at the entry deadline.[8] (Even if its suspension were lifted, Kuwaiti clubs would not enter since Kuwait did not implement club licensing system.[7])
  4. ^
    Lebanon (LIB): Lebanon did not implement the AFC Champions League club licensing system.[7]
  5. ^
    Saudi Arabia (KSA): Saudi Arabia had only two entries as Al-Nassr and Al-Ittihad, the 2016–17 Saudi Professional League 3rd place and 4th place, which would have entered the group stage and qualifying play-offs respectively, failed to obtain an AFC licence, and no other teams below them in the league were eligible to replace them, as all other licensed teams from Saudi Arabia finished in the bottom half of the league and did not meet the sporting criteria (Entry Manual 12.6).[4][7]
  6. ^
    Syria (SYR): Syria did not implement the AFC Champions League club licensing system.[7]

Teams

The following 46 teams from 20 associations entered the competition.

In the following table, the number of appearances and last appearance count only those since the 2002–03 season (including qualifying rounds), when the competition was rebranded as the AFC Champions League.

Notes
  1. ^
    Indonesia (IDN): Bhayangkara, the 2017 Liga 1 champions, failed to obtain an AFC licence. As a result, Bali United, the league runners-up, entered the qualifying play-offs.[9]
  2. ^
    Iran (IRN): Naft Tehran, the 2016–17 Hazfi Cup winners, failed to obtain an AFC licence. As a result, Tractor, the 2016–17 Persian Gulf Pro League 3rd place, entered the groups stage instead of the qualifying play-offs, while Zob Ahan, the league 4th place, entered the qualifying play-offs.
  3. ^
    Qatar (QAT): El Jaish, the 2016–17 Qatar Stars League 4th place, were merged into Lekhwiya to form Al-Duhail after the 2016–17 season. As a result, Al-Gharafa, the league 5th place, entered the qualifying play-offs.[10]
  4. ^
    Singapore (SIN): Albirex Niigata Singapore, the 2017 S.League champions, is a satellite team of Japanese club Albirex Niigata and thus ineligible to represent Singapore in AFC club competitions. As a result, Tampines Rovers, the league runners-up, entered the qualifying play-offs.
  5. ^
    United Arab Emirates (UAE): Al-Ahli, the 2016–17 UAE Pro-League 3rd place, merged with Al-Shabab and Dubai to form Shabab Al-Ahli Dubai after the 2016–17 season, and were excluded from the AFC Champions League for failing to be in existence for the necessary three year requirement. As a result, Al-Ain, the league 4th place, entered the qualifying play-offs (initially they failed to obtain an AFC licence but later won their appeal).[11][12]
  6. ^
    Vietnam (VIE): Quảng Nam, the 2017 V.League 1 champions, failed to obtain an AFC licence. As a result, FLC Thanh Hóa, the league runners-up, entered the qualifying play-offs.[13]
class=notpageimage|
Location of teams of the 2018 AFC Champions League.
West Region
East Region
(p) Qualifying play-off participants

Schedule

The schedule of the competition was as follows.[14]

Stage Round Draw date First leg Second leg
Preliminary stage Preliminary round 1 No draw 16 January 2018
Preliminary round 2 23 January 2018
Play-off stage Play-off round 30 January 2018
Group stage Matchday 1 6 December 2017 12–14 February 2018
Matchday 2 19–21 February 2018
Matchday 3 5–7 March 2018
Matchday 4 12–14 March 2018
Matchday 5 2–4 April 2018
Matchday 6 16–18 April 2018
Knockout stage Round of 16 7–9 May 2018 14–16 May 2018
Quarter-finals 23 May 2018 27–29 August 2018 17–19 September 2018
Semi-finals 2–3 October 2018 23–24 October 2018
Final 3 November 2018 10 November 2018

Qualifying play-offs

Main article: 2018 AFC Champions League qualifying play-offs

In the qualifying play-offs, each tie was played as a single match. Extra time and penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winner if necessary (Regulations Article 9.2). The eight winners of the play-off round advanced to the group stage to join the 24 direct entrants. All losers in each round from associations with only play-off slots entered the AFC Cup group stage.[1]

The bracket of the qualifying play-offs for each region was determined by the AFC based on the association ranking of each team, with the team from the higher-ranked association hosting the match. Teams from the same association could not be placed into the same play-off.[15]

Preliminary round 1

Team 1  Score  Team 2
East Region
Bali United Indonesia 3–1 Singapore Tampines Rovers
Shan United Myanmar 1–1 (a.e.t.)
(3–4 p) 		Philippines Ceres–Negros

Preliminary round 2

Team 1  Score  Team 2
East Region
Eastern Hong Kong 2–4 Vietnam FLC Thanh Hóa
Muangthong United Thailand 5–2 Malaysia Johor Darul Ta'zim
Chiangrai United Thailand 2–1 (a.e.t.) Indonesia Bali United
Brisbane Roar Australia 2–3 Philippines Ceres–Negros

Play-off round

Team 1  Score  Team 2
West Region
Al-Ain United Arab Emirates 2–0 Bahrain Malkiya
Zob Ahan Iran 3–1 India Aizawl
Al-Gharafa Qatar 2–1 Uzbekistan Pakhtakor
Nasaf Qarshi Uzbekistan 5–1 Jordan Al-Faisaly
Team 1  Score  Team 2
East Region
Suwon Samsung Bluewings South Korea 5–1 Vietnam FLC Thanh Hóa
Kashiwa Reysol Japan 3–0 Thailand Muangthong United
Shanghai SIPG China 1–0 Thailand Chiangrai United
Tianjin Quanjian China 2–0 Philippines Ceres–Negros

Group stage

Main article: 2018 AFC Champions League group stage

The draw for the group stage was held on 6 December 2017, 16:30 MYT (UTC+8), at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.[16][15] The 32 teams were drawn into eight groups of four: four groups each in the West Region (Groups A–D) and the East Region (Groups E–H). Teams from the same association could not be drawn into the same group. In the group stage, 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 of the knockout stage.

Group A

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification AHL JAZ GHA TRA
1 Saudi Arabia Al-Ahli 6 4 2 0 9 4 +5 14 Advance to knockout stage — 2–1 1–1 2–0
2 United Arab Emirates Al-Jazira 6 2 2 2 9 9 0 8[a] 1–2 — 3–2 0–0
3 Qatar Al-Gharafa 6 2 2 2 12 9 +3 8[a] 1–1 2–3 — 3–0
4 Iran Tractor Sazi 6 0 2 4 2 10 −8 2 0–1 1–1 1–3 —
Source: AFC
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Head-to-head results: Al-Jazira 3–2 Al-Gharafa, Al-Gharafa 2–3 Al-Jazira.

Group B

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification DUH ZOB LOK WAH
1 Qatar Al-Duhail 6 6 0 0 13 6 +7 18 Advance to knockout stage — 3–1 3–2 1–0
2 Iran Zob Ahan 6 2 1 3 6 8 −2 7[a] 0–1 — 2–0 2–0
3 Uzbekistan Lokomotiv Tashkent 6 2 1 3 13 9 +4 7[a] 1–2 1–1 — 5–0
4 United Arab Emirates Al-Wahda 6 1 0 5 6 15 −9 3 2–3 3–0 1–4 —
Source: AFC
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Head-to-head results: Zob Ahan 2–0 Lokomotiv Tashkent, Lokomotiv Tashkent 1–1 Zob Ahan.

Group C

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification PER SAD NSF WAS
1 Iran Persepolis 6 4 1 1 8 3 +5 13 Advance to knockout stage — 1–0 3–0 2–0
2 Qatar Al-Sadd 6 4 0 2 11 5 +6 12 3–1 — 4–0 2–1
3 Uzbekistan Nasaf Qarshi 6 3 1 2 4 8 −4 10 0–0 1–0 — 1–0
4 United Arab Emirates Al-Wasl 6 0 0 6 3 10 −7 0 0–1 1–2 1–2 —
Source: AFC

Group D

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification EST AIN RAY HIL
1 Iran Esteghlal 6 3 3 0 9 5 +4 12 Advance to knockout stage — 1–1 2–0 1–0
2 United Arab Emirates Al-Ain 6 2 4 0 10 6 +4 10 2–2 — 1–1 2–1
3 Qatar Al-Rayyan 6 1 3 2 7 11 −4 6 2–2 1–4 — 2–1
4 Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal 6 0 2 4 3 7 −4 2 0–1 0–0 1–1 —
Source: AFC

Group E

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification JEO TJQ KSW KIT
1 South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 6 5 0 1 22 9 +13 15 Advance to knockout stage — 6–3 3–2 3–0
2 China Tianjin Quanjian 6 4 1 1 15 11 +4 13 4–2 — 3–2 3–0
3 Japan Kashiwa Reysol 6 1 1 4 6 10 −4 4 0–2 1–1 — 1–0
4 Hong Kong Kitchee 6 1 0 5 1 14 −13 3 0–6 0–1 1–0 —
Source: AFC

Group F

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification SSI ULS MEL KAW
1 China Shanghai SIPG 6 3 2 1 10 6 +4 11 Advance to knockout stage — 2–2 4–1 1–1
2 South Korea Ulsan Hyundai 6 2 3 1 15 11 +4 9 0–1 — 6–2 2–1
3 Australia Melbourne Victory 6 2 2 2 11 16 −5 8 2–1 3–3 — 1–0
4 Japan Kawasaki Frontale 6 0 3 3 6 9 −3 3 0–1 2–2 2–2 —
Source: AFC

Group G

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification GZE BUR CER JEJ
1 China Guangzhou Evergrande 6 3 3 0 12 6 +6 12 Advance to knockout stage — 1–1 3–1 5–3
2 Thailand Buriram United 6 2 3 1 7 6 +1 9 1–1 — 2–0 0–2
3 Japan Cerezo Osaka 6 2 2 2 6 8 −2 8 0–0 2–2 — 2–1
4 South Korea Jeju United 6 1 0 5 6 11 −5 3 0–2 0–1 0–1 —
Source: AFC

Group H

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification SSB KAS SYD SSH
1 South Korea Suwon Samsung Bluewings 6 3 1 2 8 7 +1 10 Advance to knockout stage — 1–2 1–4 1–1
2 Japan Kashima Antlers 6 2 3 1 8 6 +2 9 0–1 — 1–1 1–1
3 Australia Sydney FC 6 1 3 2 7 8 −1 6 0–2 0–2 — 0–0
4 China Shanghai Shenhua 6 0 5 1 6 8 −2 5 0–2 2–2 2–2 —
Source: AFC

Knockout stage

Main article: 2018 AFC Champions League knockout stage

In the knockout stage, the 16 teams played a single-elimination tournament, with the teams split into the two regions until the final. Each tie was played on a home-and-away two-legged basis. The away goals rule, extra time (away goals do not apply in extra time) and penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winner if necessary (Regulations Article 11.3).[1]

Bracket

The bracket was decided after the draw for the quarter-finals, which was held on 23 May 2018, 16:00 MYT (UTC+8), at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.[17][18][19]

Round of 16 Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
                
Japan Kashima Antlers 3 1 4
China Shanghai SIPG 1 2 3
Japan Kashima Antlers 2 3 5
China Tianjin Quanjian 0 0 0
China Tianjin Quanjian (a) 0 2 2
China Guangzhou Evergrande 0 2 2
Japan Kashima Antlers 3 3 6
East Region
South Korea Suwon Samsung Bluewings 2 3 5
Thailand Buriram United 3 0 3
South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 2 2 4
South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 0 3 3 (2)
South Korea Suwon Samsung Bluewings (p) 3 0 3 (4)
South Korea Ulsan Hyundai 1 0 1
South Korea Suwon Samsung Bluewings 0 3 3
Japan Kashima Antlers 2 0 2
Iran Persepolis 0 0 0
Iran Zob Ahan 1 1 2
Iran Esteghlal 0 3 3
Iran Esteghlal 1 2 3
Qatar Al-Sadd 3 2 5
Qatar Al-Sadd 2 2 4
Saudi Arabia Al-Ahli 1 2 3
Qatar Al-Sadd 0 1 1
West Region
Iran Persepolis 1 1 2
United Arab Emirates Al-Ain 2 1 3
Qatar Al-Duhail 4 4 8
Qatar Al-Duhail 1 1 2
Iran Persepolis 0 3 3
United Arab Emirates Al-Jazira 3 1 4
Iran Persepolis (a) 2 2 4

Round of 16

In the round of 16, the winners of one group played the runners-up of another group from the same region, with the group winners hosting the second leg, and the matchups determined by the group stage draw.

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
West Region
Al-Jazira United Arab Emirates 4–4 (a) Iran Persepolis 3–2 1–2
Al-Sadd Qatar 4–3 Saudi Arabia Al-Ahli 2–1 2–2
Zob Ahan Iran 2–3 Iran Esteghlal 1–0 1–3
Al-Ain United Arab Emirates 3–8 Qatar Al-Duhail 2–4 1–4
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
East Region
Tianjin Quanjian China 2–2 (a) China Guangzhou Evergrande 0–0 2–2
Buriram United Thailand 3–4 South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 3–2 0–2
Ulsan Hyundai South Korea 1–3 South Korea Suwon Samsung Bluewings 1–0 0–3
Kashima Antlers Japan 4–3 China Shanghai SIPG 3–1 1–2

Quarter-finals

The draw for the quarter-finals was held on 23 May 2018.[19] In the quarter-finals, the four teams from the West Region played in two ties, and the four teams from the East Region played in two ties, with the matchups and order of legs decided by draw, without any seeding or country protection.

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
West Region
Esteghlal Iran 3–5 Qatar Al-Sadd 1–3 2–2
Al-Duhail Qatar 2–3 Iran Persepolis 1–0 1–3
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
East Region
Kashima Antlers Japan 5–0 China Tianjin Quanjian 2–0 3–0
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors South Korea 3–3 (2–4 p) South Korea Suwon Samsung Bluewings 0–3 3–0 (a.e.t.)

Semi-finals

In the semi-finals, the two quarter-final winners from the West Region played each other, and the two quarter-final winners from the East Region played each other, with the order of legs determined by the quarter-final draw.

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
West Region
Al-Sadd Qatar 1–2 Iran Persepolis 0–1 1–1
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
East Region
Kashima Antlers Japan 6–5 South Korea Suwon Samsung Bluewings 3–2 3–3

Final

Main article: 2018 AFC Champions League Final

In the final, the two semi-final winners played each other, with the order of legs (first leg hosted by team from the East Region, second leg hosted by team from the West Region) reversed from the previous season's final.

Kashima Antlers Japan2–0Iran Persepolis
 Live Report
Stats Report
Attendance: 35,022
Referee: Ma Ning (China)
Persepolis Iran0–0Japan Kashima Antlers
Live Report
Stats Report
Attendance: 100,000
Referee: Ahmed Al-Kaf (Oman)

Kashima Antlers won 2–0 on aggregate.

Awards

Main awards

Award Player Team
Most Valuable Player[20] Japan Yuma Suzuki Japan Kashima Antlers
Top Goalscorer[21] Algeria Baghdad Bounedjah Qatar Al-Sadd
Fair Play Award — Iran Persepolis
Best Goal[22] Hong Kong Cheng Chin Lung Hong Kong Kitchee

All-Star Squad

Source:[23]

Position Player Team
Goalkeeper South Korea Kwoun Sun-tae Japan Kashima Antlers
Iran Alireza Beiranvand Iran Persepolis
South Korea Shin Hwa-yong South Korea Suwon Samsung Bluewings
Defenders Qatar Abdelkarim Hassan Qatar Al-Sadd
Iran Rouzbeh Cheshmi Iran Esteghlal
Japan Gen Shoji Japan Kashima Antlers
Iran Jalal Hosseini Iran Persepolis
South Korea Jung Seung-hyun Japan Kashima Antlers
Midfielders South Korea Nam Tae-hee Qatar Al-Duhail
Brazil Léo Silva Japan Kashima Antlers
Spain Xavi Qatar Al-Sadd
Iran Kamal Kamyabinia Iran Persepolis
Japan Kento Misao Japan Kashima Antlers
Iraq Bashar Resan Iran Persepolis
South Korea Park Jong-woo South Korea Suwon Samsung Bluewings
Bosnia and Herzegovina Elvis Sarić South Korea Suwon Samsung Bluewings
Forwards Japan Yuma Suzuki Japan Kashima Antlers
Nigeria Godwin Mensha Iran Persepolis
Brazil Serginho Japan Kashima Antlers
South Korea Kim Shin-wook South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
Iran Ali Alipour Iran Persepolis
Brazil Alexandre Pato China Tianjin Quanjian
Montenegro Dejan Damjanović South Korea Suwon Samsung Bluewings
Algeria Baghdad Bounedjah Qatar Al-Sadd

Opta Best XI

Source:[24]

Position Player Team
Goalkeeper Iran Alireza Beiranvand Iran Persepolis
Defenders China Li Xuepeng China Guangzhou Evergrande
Iran Shoja' Khalilzadeh Iran Persepolis
Iran Jalal Hosseini Iran Persepolis
South Korea Lee Yong South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
Midfielders Brazil Ricardo Goulart China Guangzhou Evergrande
Spain Xavi Qatar Al-Sadd
Brazil Serginho Japan Kashima Antlers
Forwards Montenegro Dejan Damjanović South Korea Suwon Samsung Bluewings
Algeria Baghdad Bounedjah Qatar Al-Sadd
Morocco Youssef El-Arabi Qatar Al-Duhail

Fans' Best XI

Source:[24]

Position Player Team
Goalkeeper Iran Alireza Beiranvand Iran Persepolis
Defenders Qatar Abdelkarim Hassan Qatar Al-Sadd
Iran Shoja' Khalilzadeh Iran Persepolis
Qatar Ró-Ró Qatar Al-Sadd
Iran Voria Ghafouri Iran Esteghlal
Midfielders Iran Farshid Esmaeili Iran Esteghlal
Spain Xavi Qatar Al-Sadd
Iran Siamak Nemati Iran Persepolis
Forwards Iran Ali Alipour Iran Persepolis
Algeria Baghdad Bounedjah Qatar Al-Sadd
Senegal Mame Baba Thiam Iran Esteghlal

Top scorers

  Team eliminated / inactive for this round.
  Player was not in the team but team still active for this round.
Rank Player Team MD1 MD2 MD3 MD4 MD5 MD6 2R1 2R2 QF1 QF2 SF1 SF2  F1   F2  Total
1 Algeria Baghdad Bounedjah Qatar Al-Sadd 2 2 1 2 2 2 1 1 13
2 Montenegro Dejan Damjanović South Korea Suwon Samsung Bluewings 2 1 1 1 2 1 1 9
Morocco Youssef El-Arabi Qatar Al-Duhail 2 2 2 1 2
4 Senegal Mame Baba Thiam Iran Esteghlal 1 2 1 3 7
Brazil Ricardo Goulart China Guangzhou Evergrande 1 4 2
6 Sweden Marcus Berg United Arab Emirates Al-Ain 1 1 2 2 6
South Korea Kim Shin-wook South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 3 1 1 1
Brazil Romarinho United Arab Emirates Al-Jazira 1 1 1 1 1 1
9 Brazil Adriano South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 3 1 1 5
Iran Morteza Tabrizi Iran Zob Ahan (GS & R16)
Iran Esteghlal (QF) 		1 2 1 1
Brazil Serginho Japan Kashima Antlers 1 1 1 1 1
United Arab Emirates Ali Mabkhout United Arab Emirates Al-Jazira 1 1 2 1
Saudi Arabia Muhannad Assiri Saudi Arabia Al-Ahli 1 1 1 1 1
Iran Mehdi Taremi Qatar Al-Gharafa 1 2 1 1
Iran Ali Alipour Iran Persepolis 2 1 1 1

Note: Goals scored in the qualifying play-offs are not counted when determining top scorer (Regulations Article 64.4).[1]

Source: AFC[25]

Player of the week awards

Matchday Toyota Player of the Week
Player Team
Group stage
Matchday 1[26] Netherlands Leroy George Australia Melbourne Victory
Matchday 2[27] Brazil Oscar China Shanghai SIPG
Matchday 3[28] Brazil Ricardo Goulart China Guangzhou Evergrande
Matchday 4[29] United Arab Emirates Ali Khasif United Arab Emirates Al-Jazira
Matchday 5[30] Croatia Mislav Oršić South Korea Ulsan Hyundai
Matchday 6[31] Brazil Alan China Guangzhou Evergrande
Knockout stage
Round of 16 1st leg[32] Brazil Edgar Thailand Buriram United
Round of 16 2nd leg[33] Senegal Mame Baba Thiam Iran Esteghlal
Quarter-finals 1st leg[34] Montenegro Dejan Damjanović South Korea Suwon Samsung Bluewings
Quarter-finals 2nd leg[35] Qatar Akram Afif Qatar Al-Sadd
Semi-finals 1st leg[36] Iran Alireza Beiranvand Iran Persepolis
Semi-finals 2nd leg[37] Montenegro Dejan Damjanović South Korea Suwon Samsung Bluewings
Final 1st leg[38] Brazil Serginho Japan Kashima Antlers
Final 2nd leg[39] South Korea Kwoun Sun-tae Japan Kashima Antlers

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "2018 AFC Champions League 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. ^ a b c d "Entry Manual: AFC Club Competitions 2017–2020" (PDF). AFC.
  5. ^ a b c "AFC MA Ranking (as of 30 November 2016)" (PDF). AFC.
  6. ^ "AFC Club Competitions Ranking Mechanics (2016 version)" (PDF). AFC.
  7. ^ a b c d e "List of Licensed Clubs for AFC Champions League 2018" (PDF). Asian Football Confederation. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
  8. ^ "FIFA Congress drives football forward, first female secretary general appointed". FIFA. Archived from the original on May 16, 2016. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  9. ^ "PSSI Tolak Banding Klub Terkait Lisensi AFC" [PSSI reject club appeals related to AFC license] (in Indonesian). Goal.com. 31 October 2017. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  10. ^ "Lekhwiya, Al Jaish Clubs to Merge into One Club under the Name of Al Duhail Sports Club". www.qna.org.qa. Archived from the original on 2017-04-12. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  11. ^ "Al Ain ruled out of next year's ACL". Gulf News. 17 October 2017. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  12. ^ "Al Ain cleared to play in AFC Champions League". Gulf News. 31 October 2017. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  13. ^ "AFC: FLC THANH HÓA THAY QUẢNG NAM ĐÁ AFC CHAMPIONS LEAGUE". Goal.com. 30 November 2017.
  14. ^ "AFC Competitions Calendar 2018". AFC. 11 January 2018.
  15. ^ a b "AFC Champions League 2018 draw concluded". AFC. 6 December 2017.
  16. ^ "AFC Champions League 2018 Official Group Stage Draw". YouTube. 6 December 2017.
  17. ^ "Impressive quarter-finalists promise thrills". AFC. 22 May 2018.
  18. ^ "AFC Champions League 2018 Knockout Stage Official Draw". YouTube. 23 May 2018.
  19. ^ a b "Quarter-final ties confirmed". AFC. 23 May 2018.
  20. ^ "Yuma Suzuki of Kashima named 2018 MVP". AFC. 10 November 2018.
  21. ^ "Al Sadd's Bounedjah bags Top Scorer Award". AFC. 10 November 2018.
  22. ^ "Kitchee's Cheng winner of Best #ACL2018 Goal". AFC. 22 November 2018.
  23. ^ "AFC Champions League 2018 Technical Report". AFC. Retrieved 2022-05-12.
  24. ^ a b "The Best ACL2018 XI announced!". AFC. 9 August 2020. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  25. ^ "Top Goal Scorers (by Stage) – 2018 AFC Champions League (Group Stage, Round of 16, Knock-out Stage)". the-afc.com. AFC.
  26. ^ "ACL2018 MD1 Toyota Player of the Week: Leroy George". AFC. 15 February 2018.
  27. ^ "ACL2018 MD2 Toyota Player of the Week: Oscar". AFC. 23 February 2018.
  28. ^ "ACL2018 MD3 Toyota Player of the Week: Ricardo Goulart". AFC. 8 March 2018.
  29. ^ "ACL2018 MD4 Toyota Player of the Week: Ali Khaseif". AFC. 16 March 2018.
  30. ^ "ACL2018 MD5 Toyota Player of the Week: Mislav Orsic". AFC. 6 April 2018.
  31. ^ "ACL2018 MD6 Toyota Player of the Week: Alan". AFC. 20 April 2018.
  32. ^ "ACL2018 Round of 16 First Leg Toyota Player of the Week: Edgar". AFC. 11 May 2018.
  33. ^ "Round of 16, Second Leg Toyota Player of the Week: Mame Thiam". AFC. 18 May 2018.
  34. ^ "Quarter-final, First Leg Toyota Player of the Week: Dejan Damjanovic". AFC. 30 August 2018.
  35. ^ "Quarter-final, Second Leg Toyota Player of the Week: Akram Afif". AFC. 20 September 2018.
  36. ^ "Semi-Final, First Leg Toyota Player of the Week: Alireza Beiranvand". AFC. 5 October 2018.
  37. ^ "Semi-finals, Second Leg Toyota Player of the Week: Dejan Damjanovic". AFC. 26 October 2018.
  38. ^ "Final, First Leg Toyota Player of the Week: Serginho". AFC. November 2018.
  39. ^ "Final, 2nd Leg Toyota Player of the Week: Kwoun Sun-tae". AFC. 17 November 2018.
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