2014 AFC Cup

Summary

The 2014 AFC Cup was the 11th edition of the AFC Cup, a football competition organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for clubs from "developing countries" in Asia.[1] Al-Kuwait were the two-time defending champions, but were eliminated by Persipura Jayapura in the quarter-finals.

2014 AFC Cup
Tournament details
Dates2 February – 18 October 2014
Teams34 (from 19 associations)
Final positions
ChampionsKuwait Al-Qadsia (1st title)
Runners-upIraq Erbil
Tournament statistics
Matches played119
Goals scored369 (3.1 per match)
Attendance336,085 (2,824 per match)
Top scorer(s)Spain Juan Belencoso (11 goals)
Best player(s)Kuwait Saif Al Hashan
2013
2015

In the final, Al-Qadsia of Kuwait defeated Erbil of Iraq 4–2 on penalties after a 0–0 draw draw in regulation time, to win their first AFC Cup title after losing in the previous year's final.[2]

Allocation of entries per association edit

The AFC laid out the procedure for deciding the participating associations and the allocation of slots, with the final decision to be made by the AFC on 26 November 2013.[3] The following changes to the list of participating associations may be made from the 2013 AFC Cup if the AFC approves the following applications made by any association:

  • An association originally participating in the AFC Cup may apply to participate in the 2014 AFC Champions League. An association may participate in both the AFC Champions League and the AFC Cup if it only partially fulfills the AFC Champions League criteria.
  • An association originally participating in the AFC President's Cup may apply to participate in the 2014 AFC Cup.

The following changes in the participating associations were made compared to the previous year:

  • Kyrgyzstan and Palestine clubs' participation were upgraded from the AFC President's Cup to the AFC Cup starting from 2014 by the AFC.[4]

Each participating association was given either two entries to the group stage or one entry to the qualifying play-off, based on the AFC Technical Ranking and the number of associations in each zone.[5]

Evaluation for 2014 AFC Cup
Ranked top 23, allocated two direct slots
Ranked 24–34, allocated two direct slots
Ranked 24–34, allocated one play-off slot

Teams edit

The following teams entered the competition. Teams in italics played in the 2014 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. ^
    India (IND): Since the submission deadline came before the Indian Federation Cup, the league runners-up were chosen to represent India in the AFC Cup.
  2. ^ a b
    Indonesia (IDN): Persipura Jayapura and Arema Cronus, the 2013 Indonesia Super League champions and runners-up respectively, were chosen to represent Indonesia in the AFC Cup.[6]
  3. ^
    Malaysia (MAS): Since LionsXII, a side managed by the Football Association of Singapore and thus ineligible to represent Malaysia in continental competition, won the 2013 Malaysia Super League, the league runners-up were chosen to represent Malaysia in the AFC Cup.[7]
  4. ^
    Myanmar (MYA): Since the MFF Cup had to be cancelled due to tightness of schedule in preparation for the 2013 Southeast Asian Games, the league runners-up were chosen to represent Myanmar in the AFC Cup.

Schedule edit

The schedule of the competition was as follows (all draws held at AFC headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia).[5][8]

Phase Round Draw date First leg Second leg
Qualifying play-off Round 1 No draw 2 February 2014
Group stage Matchday 1 10 December 2013 25–26 February 2014
Matchday 2 11–12 March 2014
Matchday 3 18–19 March 2014
Matchday 4 1–2 April 2014
Matchday 5 8–9 April 2014
Matchday 6 22–23 April 2014
Knock-out stage Round of 16 13–14 May 2014
Quarter-finals 28 May 2014 19 August 2014 26 August 2014
Semi-finals 16 September 2014 30 September 2014
Final 18 October 2014

Qualifying play-off edit

The bracket for the qualifying play-off was determined by the AFC.[5] Each tie was played as a single match. Extra time and penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winner if necessary. The winners of each tie advanced to the group stage to join the 30 automatic qualifiers.[1]

Team 1  Score  Team 2
Ravshan Kulob   2–1   Al-Yarmuk Al-Rawda
Shabab Al-Dhahiriya   1–1 (a.e.t.)
(7–8 p)
  Alay Osh

Group stage edit

The draw for the group stage was held on 10 December 2013.[9] 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 are ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If tied on points, tiebreakers are 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 (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. Penalty shoot-out 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 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)
  8. Drawing of lots

Group A edit

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts SAF THR SUW RAV
  Safa 6 5 1 0 13 1 +12 16 1–0 1–0 8–0
  That Ras 6 3 2 1 9 4 +5 11 0–0 1–0 5–1
  Al-Suwaiq 6 2 1 3 8 4 +4 7 0–1 0–0 3–1
  Ravshan Kulob 6 0 0 6 5 26 −21 0 1–2 2–3 0–5
Source: [citation needed]

Group B edit

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts KUW NEJ FAN JAI
  Al-Kuwait 6 4 1 1 12 4 +8 13 2–1 4–0 2–0
  Al-Nejmeh 6 2 3 1 4 3 +1 9 1–1 1–0 0–0
  Fanja 6 1 3 2 2 6 −4 6 2–1 0–0 0–0
  Al-Jaish 6 0 3 3 0 5 −5 3 0–2 0–1 0–0
Source: [citation needed]

Group C edit

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts QAD HID SHO WAH
  Al-Qadsia 6 3 2 1 11 5 +6 11[a] 2–0 3–0 1–1
  Al-Hidd 6 3 2 1 10 6 +4 11[a] 3–2 0–0 3–1
  Al-Shorta 6 1 4 1 3 4 −1 7 0–0 0–0 0–0
  Al-Wahda 6 0 2 4 5 14 −9 2 1–3 1–4 1–3
Source: [citation needed]
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Tiebreakers: Al-Qadsia and Al-Hidd are ranked on head-to-head record.
Tiebreakers
  • Al-Qadsia and Al-Hidd are ranked on head-to-head record.

Group D edit

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts ERB RIF ORD ALA
  Erbil 6 5 0 1 19 5 +14 15 1–2 3–2 6–0
  Riffa 6 3 1 2 7 7 0 10 0–3 2–0 2–0
  Shabab Al-Ordon 6 3 0 3 9 10 −1 9 1–3 3–1 2–1
  Alay Osh 6 0 1 5 1 14 −13 1 0–3 0–0 0–1
Source: [citation needed]

Group E edit

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts PSJ CHB HOM NRA
  Persipura Jayapura 6 3 2 1 9 4 +5 11 2–0 0–2 3–0
  Churchill Brothers 6 3 1 2 10 7 +3 10[a] 1–1 3–1 3–0
  Home United 6 3 1 2 8 6 +2 10[a] 1–1 2–1 2–0
  New Radiant 6 1 0 5 2 12 −10 3 0–2 1–2 1–0
Source: [citation needed]
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Tiebreakers: Churchill Brothers and Home United are ranked on head-to-head record.
Tiebreakers
  • Churchill Brothers and Home United are ranked on head-to-head record.

Group F edit

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts HNT ARE SEL MAZ
  Hà Nội T&T 6 5 0 1 14 7 +7 15 2–1 1–0 5–1
  Arema Cronus 6 3 1 2 10 9 +1 10 1–3 1–0 3–2
  Selangor 6 2 2 2 9 6 +3 8 3–1 1–1 4–1
  Maziya 6 0 1 5 7 18 −11 1 1–2 1–3 1–1
Source: [citation needed]

Group G edit

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts VNB YAN SCA KEL
  Vissai Ninh Bình 6 5 1 0 18 7 +11 16 3–2 1–1 4–0
  Yangon United 6 3 0 3 16 17 −1 9 1–4 2–0 5–3
  South China 6 2 1 3 11 11 0 7 1–3 5–3 4–0
  Kelantan 6 1 0 5 9 19 −10 3 2–3 2–3 2–0
Source: [citation needed]

Group H edit

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts KIT NPT TAM PUN
  Kitchee 6 4 1 1 15 5 +10 13 2–0 4–0 2–2
  Nay Pyi Taw 6 2 2 2 10 10 0 8 1–2 3–1 3–3
  Tampines Rovers 6 2 0 4 9 16 −7 6[a] 0–5 0–1 3–1
  Pune 6 1 3 2 12 15 −3 6[a] 2–0 2–2 2–5
Source: [citation needed]
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Tiebreakers: Tampines Rovers and Pune are ranked on head-to-head record.
Tiebreakers
  • Tampines Rovers and Pune are ranked on head-to-head record.

Knock-out stage edit

In the knock-out 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 do not apply in extra time) and penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winner if necessary.[1]

Bracket edit

Round of 16 Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
            
  Hà Nội T&T 5
  Nay Pyi Taw 0
  Hà Nội T&T 0 0 0
  Erbil 1 2 3
  Erbil (p) 0 (3)
  Al-Nejmeh 0 (0)
  Erbil 1 2 3
  Kitchee 1 1 2
  Vissai Ninh Bình 4
  Churchill Brothers 2
  Vissai Ninh Bình 2 1 3
  Kitchee 4 0 4
  Kitchee 2
  Arema Cronus 0
  Erbil 0 (2)
  Al-Qadsia (p) 0 (4)
  Al-Qadsia 4
  That Ras 0
  Al-Qadsia (a) 1 2 3
  Al-Hidd 1 2 3
  Safa 0
  Al-Hidd 1
  Al-Qadsia 4 6 10
  Persipura Jayapura 2 0 2
  Al-Kuwait 3
  Riffa 0
  Al-Kuwait 3 1 4
  Persipura Jayapura 2 6 8
  Persipura Jayapura 9
  Yangon United 2

Round of 16 edit

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.[1]

Team 1  Score  Team 2
West Asia Zone
Safa   0–1   Al-Hidd
Al-Qadsia   4–0   That Ras
Al-Kuwait   3–0   Riffa
Erbil   0–0 (a.e.t.)
(3–0 p)
  Al-Nejmeh
East Asia Zone
Persipura Jayapura   9–2   Yangon United
Vissai Ninh Bình   4–2   Churchill Brothers
Hà Nội T&T   5–0   Nay Pyi Taw
Kitchee   2–0   Arema Cronus

Quarter-finals edit

The draw for the quarter-finals was held on 28 May 2014.[10] Teams from different zones could be drawn into the same tie, and the "country protection" rule was applied, so teams from the same association could not be drawn into the same tie.

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Hà Nội T&T   0–3   Erbil 0–1 0–2
Vissai Ninh Bình   3–4   Kitchee 2–4 1–0
Al-Qadsia   3–3 (a)   Al-Hidd 1–1 2–2
Al-Kuwait   4–8   Persipura Jayapura 3–2 1–6

Semi-finals edit

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Erbil   3–2   Kitchee 1–1 2–1
Al-Qadsia   10–2   Persipura Jayapura 4–2 6–0

Final edit

The draw to decide the host team of the final was held after the quarter-final draw.[10]

Notes
  1. ^
    Teams from Iraq were not allowed to host their home matches in their country due to security concerns.

Awards edit

Award Player Team
Most Valuable Player[11]   Saif Al Hashan   Al-Qadsia
Top Goalscorer   Juan Belencoso   Kitchee

Top scorers edit

Rank Player Team MD1 MD2 MD3 MD4 MD5 MD6 R16 QF1 QF2 SF1 SF2 0F0 Total
1   Juan Belencoso   Kitchee 1 1 2 1 3 2 1 11
2   Omar Al Soma   Al-Qadsia 1 1 1 3 1 7
  César   Yangon United 2 1 1 1 1 1 7
  Paulo Rangel   Selangor 1 3 3 7
5   Kyaw Ko Ko   Yangon United 3 1 1 1 6
  Nguyễn Văn Quyết   Hà Nội T&T 3 1 1 1 6
  Boaz Solossa   Persipura Jayapura 1 2 1 1 1 6
8   Saif Al Hashan   Al-Qadsia 1 1 1 1 1 5
  Bader Al-Mutawa   Al-Qadsia 1 1 1 2 5
  Đinh Văn Ta   Vissai Ninh Bình 1 2 2 5
  Boakay Eddie Foday   Persipura Jayapura 5 5
  Borja Rubiato   Erbil 1 2 1 1 5

Note: Goals scored in qualifying play-off not counted (see regulations, Article 74c).[12]

Source:[13][14]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e "AFC Cup 2014 Competition Regulations" (PDF). AFC.
  2. ^ "Al Qadsia crowned AFC Cup champions". AFC. 19 October 2014.
  3. ^ "ACL Slots Decisions By Exco pt. 2" (PDF). AFC.
  4. ^ "Алай" в Кубке АФК (in Russian). Football Federation of the Kyrgyz Republic. 29 November 2013.
  5. ^ a b c "AFC Champions League 2014 and AFC Cup 2014 Competition Format - AFC Champions League & AFC Cup Play-off" (PDF). Asian Football Confederation. Vietnam Professional Football. 28 November 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 December 2013. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
  6. ^ "Persipura-Arema, Wakil Indonesia di AFC Cup 2014" (in Indonesian). Bola Kompas. 29 November 2013.
  7. ^ "Dato' Alex reiterates AFC's stance on AFC Cup eligibility". AFC. 3 July 2013.
  8. ^ "AFC Calendar of Competitions 2014" (PDF). AFC.
  9. ^ "AFC Cup 2014 Group Stage draw". AFC. 10 December 2013.
  10. ^ a b "Defending champions Kuwait SC to meet Persipura". AFC. 28 May 2014.
  11. ^ "Qadsia's Al Hashan claims MVP award". AFC. 19 October 2014.
  12. ^ "Top Goal Scorers (by Stage) – 2014 AFC Cup Play-off". AFC.com.
  13. ^ "Top Goal Scorers (by Stage) – 2014 AFC Cup Group Stage". AFC.com.
  14. ^ "Top Goal Scorers (by Stage) – 2014 AFC Cup Knock-out Stage". AFC.com.

External links edit

  • AFC Cup, the-AFC.com