2012 AFC Champions League

The 2012 AFC Champions League was the 31st edition of the top-level Asian club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the 10th under the current AFC Champions League title.

2012 AFC Champions League
Tournament details
Dates10 February – 10 November 2012
Teams37 (from 11 associations)
Final positions
Champions Ulsan Hyundai (1st title)
Runners-up Al-Ahli
Tournament statistics
Matches played117
Goals scored338 (2.89 per match)
Attendance1,480,245 (12,652 per match)
Top scorer(s) Ricardo Oliveira
(12 goals)[1]
Best player(s) Lee Keun-Ho[2]

Ulsan Hyundai from South Korea won their first title, defeating Al-Ahli from Saudi Arabia with a 3–0 win in the final, and qualified for the 2012 FIFA Club World Cup.[3][4]

Allocation of entries per association

The AFC approved criteria for participation in the 2011 and 2012 seasons.[5] The final decision date was set after the Executive Committee meeting in November 2010.[6]

On 30 November 2009, the AFC announced 12 more MA's that were keen to join the ACL, in addition to ten participating national associations. Singapore later withdrew. The full list of candidate associations were as follows:

East Asia
West Asia

Note: India, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam have clubs taking part in play-offs to qualify for the group stages of ACL in 2010.

Entrants per association

It was originally announced that the allocation for entry to the 2012 ACL would stay the same as the previous three seasons with the exception of Vietnam, who were disqualified, and their previous playoff slot was awarded to Qatar.[8] However, following the AFC Executive Committee meeting in November 2011, it was decided that the number of slots for each association to be changed based on evaluation of the AFC Champions League criteria that took place in 2011.[9]

A total of eleven member associations (see below) which participated in the 2011 AFC Champions League was evaluated for participating in the 2012 AFC Champions League.[10] India, which played in the 2011 ACL play-off, was not evaluated and dropped to the AFC Cup. The other member associations which applied but did not meet the criteria for 2011 ACL was not evaluated at all for 2012.

Evaluation for 2012 ACL
Meet all items of the criteria
Meet some items of the criteria
Do not meet the criteria
Notes

Teams

A total of 37 teams participated in the 2012 AFC Champions League.[10]

  • 28 teams (14 in West Zone, 14 in East Zone) directly entered the group stage.
  • 9 teams (5 in West Zone, 4 in East Zone) competed in the qualifying play-off, which was divided into two rounds. The 4 winners (2 in West Zone, 2 in East Zone) qualified for the group stage. Losers of the qualifying play-off final round entered the 2012 AFC Cup group stage. However, losers of the qualifying play-off semi-final round were eliminated from all AFC competitions, a change from previous seasons where they would also enter the AFC Cup.
Notes
  • * Number of appearances (including qualifying rounds) since the 2002/03 season, when the competition was rebranded as the AFC Champions League.
  • † Bunyodkor (Uzbekistan) was moved to the East Zone.[10]
  • ‡ Persipura Jayapura were initially disqualified by the AFC from participating but on appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the CAS ruled on 1 February 2012 that they should be provisionally reinstated to the competition and were entitled to play in the qualifying play-off.[13]
  • Al-Kuwait (Kuwait), the 2011 AFC Cup runners-up, failed to fulfil the criteria set by AFC to compete in the 2012 AFC Champions League, and thus directly entered the 2012 AFC Cup. Nasaf Qarshi (Uzbekistan), the 2011 AFC Cup winners, already directly qualified for the group stage based on their domestic performance.[10]

Schedule

Schedule of dates for 2012 competition.[14]

Phase Round Draw date First leg Second leg
Qualifying play-offs Semi-finals 6 December 2011 10 February 2012
Finals 18 February 2012
Group stage Matchday 1 6–7 March 2012
Matchday 2 20–21 March 2012
Matchday 3 3–4 April 2012
Matchday 4 17–18 April 2012
Matchday 5 1–2 May 2012
Matchday 6 15–16 May 2012
Knockout phase Round of 16 22–23 May 2012 (W), 29–30 May 2012 (E)
Quarter-finals 14 June 2012 19 September 2012 2–3 October 2012
Semi-finals 24 October 2012 31 October 2012
Final 9 or 10 November 2012 at home of one of the finalists

Qualifying play-off
Main article: 2012 AFC Champions League qualifying play-off

The draw for the qualifying play-off was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 6 December 2011.[15] The winners advanced to the group stage, while the losers of the final round advanced to the AFC Cup group stage,[16] except the loser of the match between Adelaide United and Persipura Jayapura.[17]

West Zone
Team 1  Score  Team 2
Semi-final Round
Esteghlal 2–0 Zob Ahan
Final Round
Al-Shabab 3–0 Neftchi Farg'ona
Esteghlal 3–1 Al-Ettifaq

East Zone
Team 1  Score  Team 2
Final Round
Pohang Steelers 2–0 Chonburi
Adelaide United 3–0 Persipura Jayapura

Group stage
Main article: 2012 AFC Champions League group stage

The draw for the group stage was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 6 December 2011.[18] Clubs from the same country may not be drawn into the same group. The winners and runners-up of each group advanced to the knockout stage.[16]

Group A
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification JAZ EST RAY NQA
1 Al-Jazira 6 5 1 0 18 10 +8 16 Advance to knockout stage — 1–1 3–2 4–1
2 Esteghlal 6 3 2 1 8 3 +5 11 1–2 — 3–0 0–0
3 Al-Rayyan 6 2 0 4 9 12 −3 6 3–4 0–1 — 3–1
4 Nasaf Qarshi 6 0 1 5 4 14 −10 1 2–4 0–2 0–1 —
Source: WorldFootball.net

Group B
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification ITT YAS PAK ARA
1 Al-Ittihad 6 5 1 0 13 4 +9 16 Advance to knockout stage — 1–0 4–0 3–2
2 Baniyas 6 3 2 1 9 2 +7 11 0–0 — 2–0 2–0
3 Pakhtakor 6 2 1 3 6 10 −4 7 1–2 1–1 — 3–1
4 Al-Arabi 6 0 0 6 4 16 −12 0 1–3 0–4 0–1 —
Source: WorldFootball.net

Group C
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification SEP AHL NAS LEK
1 Sepahan 6 4 1 1 9 4 +5 13 Advance to knockout stage — 2–1 1–0 2–1
2 Al-Ahli 6 3 1 2 10 6 +4 10 1–1 — 3–1 3–0
3 Al-Nasr 6 2 0 4 6 11 −5 6[lower-alpha 1] 0–3 1–2 — 2–1
4 Lekhwiya 6 2 0 4 5 9 −4 6[lower-alpha 1] 1–0 1–0 1–2 —
Source: WorldFootball.net
Notes:
  1. Al-Nasr and Lekhwiya are ranked by their head-to-head record (Al-Nasr: 6 pts; Lekhwiya: 0 pts).

Group D
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification HIL PER GHA SHA
1 Al-Hilal 6 3 3 0 10 7 +3 12 Advance to knockout stage — 1–1 2–1 2–1
2 Persepolis 6 3 2 1 14 5 +9 11 0–1 — 1–1 6–1
3 Al-Gharafa 6 1 3 2 7 10 −3 6 3–3 0–3 — 2–1
4 Al-Shabab 6 0 2 4 5 14 −9 2 1–1 1–3 0–0 —
Source: WorldFootball.net

Group E
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification ADE BYD POH GMB
1 Adelaide United 6 4 1 1 7 2 +5 13 Advance to knockout stage — 0–0 1–0 2–0
2 Bunyodkor 6 3 1 2 8 7 +1 10 1–2 — 1–0 3–2
3 Pohang Steelers 6 3 0 3 6 4 +2 9 1–0 0–2 — 2–0
4 Gamba Osaka 6 1 0 5 5 13 −8 3 0–2 3–1 0–3 —
Source: WorldFootball.net

Group F
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification ULS TOK BBR BEG
1 Ulsan Hyundai 6 4 2 0 11 7 +4 14 Advance to knockout stage — 1–0 1–1 2–1
2 FC Tokyo 6 3 2 1 12 6 +6 11 2–2 — 4–2 3–0
3 Brisbane Roar 6 0 3 3 6 11 −5 3[lower-alpha 1] 1–2 0–2 — 1–1
4 Beijing Guoan 6 0 3 3 6 11 −5 3[lower-alpha 1] 2–3 1–1 1–1 —
Source: WorldFootball.net
Notes:
  1. Brisbane Roar and Beijing Guoan are tied on their head-to-head record (2 pts, 0 GD, 2 GF), overall goal difference and overall goals scored, and so are ranked by their fair play record (Brisbane Roar: 12 pts; Beijing Guoan: 18 pts).

Group G
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification SIC NGY CCM TTD
1 Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma 6 2 4 0 13 5 +8 10[lower-alpha 1] Advance to knockout stage — 1–1 5–0 1–1
2 Nagoya Grampus 6 2 4 0 10 4 +6 10[lower-alpha 1] 2–2 — 3–0 0–0
3 Central Coast Mariners 6 1 3 2 7 11 −4 6 1–1 1–1 — 5–1
4 Tianjin Teda 6 0 3 3 2 12 −10 3 0–3 0–3 0–0 —
Source: WorldFootball.net
Notes:
  1. Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma and Nagoya Grampus are tied on their head-to-head record (2 pts, 0 GD, 3 GF), and so are ranked by their overall goal difference.

Group H
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification GEG KSR JHM BRU
1 Guangzhou Evergrande 6 3 1 2 12 8 +4 10[lower-alpha 1] Advance to knockout stage — 3–1 1–3 1–2
2 Kashiwa Reysol 6 3 1 2 11 7 +4 10[lower-alpha 1] 0–0 — 5–1 1–0
3 Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 6 3 0 3 10 15 −5 9 1–5 0–2 — 3–2
4 Buriram United 6 2 0 4 8 11 −3 6 1–2 3–2 0–2 —
Source: WorldFootball.net
Notes:
  1. Guangzhou Evergrande and Kashiwa Reysol are ranked by their head-to-head record (Guangzhou Evergrande: 4 pts; Kashiwa Reysol: 1 pt).

Knockout stage
Main article: 2012 AFC Champions League knockout stage

Bracket
  Round of 16 Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
                                     
Adelaide United 1  
Nagoya Grampus 0  
  Adelaide United 2 2 4  
  Bunyodkor (a.e.t.) 2 3 5  
Seongnam Ilhwa 0
Bunyodkor 1  
  Bunyodkor 1 0 1  
  Ulsan Hyundai 3 2 5  
Ulsan Hyundai 3  
Kashiwa Reysol 2  
  Ulsan Hyundai 1 4 5
  Al-Hilal 0 0 0  
Al-Hilal 7
Baniyas 1  
  Ulsan Hyundai 3
  Al-Ahli 0
Al-Ittihad 3  
Persepolis 0  
  Al-Ittihad 4 1 5
  Guangzhou Evergrande 2 2 4  
Guangzhou Evergrande 1
FC Tokyo 0  
  Al-Ittihad 1 0 1
  Al-Ahli 0 2 2  
Sepahan 2  
Esteghlal 0  
  Sepahan 0 1 1
  Al-Ahli 0 4 4  
Al-Jazira 3 (2)
Al-Ahli (p) 3 (4)  

Round of 16

The matchups for the round of 16 were decided based on the results from the group stage.[19] Each tie was played as one match, hosted by the winners of each group (Team 1) against the runners-up of another group (Team 2).[16]

Team 1  Score  Team 2
West Zone
Al-Jazira 3–3 (aet)
(2–4 p)		 Al-Ahli
Sepahan 2–0 Esteghlal
Al-Ittihad 3–0 Persepolis
Al-Hilal 7–1 Baniyas
Team 1  Score  Team 2
East Zone
Adelaide United 1–0 Nagoya Grampus
Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma 0–1 Bunyodkor
Ulsan Hyundai 3–2 Kashiwa Reysol
Guangzhou Evergrande 1–0 FC Tokyo

Quarter-finals

The draw for the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 14 June 2012.[20] It determined the matchups for the quarter-finals and semi-finals as well as the potential host for the final.[21]

Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Al-Ittihad 5–4 Guangzhou Evergrande 4–2 1–2
Sepahan 1–4 Al-Ahli 0–0 1–4
Adelaide United 4–5 Bunyodkor 2–2 2–3 (a.e.t.)
Ulsan Hyundai 5–0 Al-Hilal 1–0 4–0

Semi-finals
Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Al-Ittihad 1–2 Al-Ahli 1–0 0–2
Bunyodkor 1–5 Ulsan Hyundai 1–3 0–2

Final
Main article: 2012 AFC Champions League Final

The final of the 2012 AFC Champions League was hosted by one of the finalists, decided by a draw.[16] According to the draw on 14 June 2012, the winner of semi-final 2 would host the final.[22] Therefore, Ulsan Hyundai was the home team.

Ulsan Hyundai 3–0 Al-Ahli
Kwak Tae-Hwi  13'
Rafinha  68'
Kim Seung-Yong  75'		 Report
Attendance: 42,153

Top scorers
Rank Player Club MD1 MD2 MD3 MD4 MD5 MD6 R16 QF1 QF2 SF1 SF2 0 F 0 Total
1 Ricardo Oliveira Al-Jazira 111342 12
2 Naif Hazazi Al-Ittihad 211121 8
3 Rafinha Gamba Osaka (GS)
Ulsan Hyundai (QF+SF+F)		 21211 7
Victor Simões Al-Ahli 1111111 7
5 Darío Conca Guangzhou Evergrande 21111 6
Kim Shin-Wook Ulsan Hyundai 111111 6
7 Éamon Zayed Persepolis 311 5
Bruno Correa Sepahan 11111 5
Leandro Domingues Kashiwa Reysol 2111 5
Yoo Byung-Soo Al-Hilal 14 5
Amara Diané Al-Nasr 2111 5

Note: Goals scored in qualifying play-off not counted.[23]

Source:[24][25]

See also

References
  1. "Ricardo Oliveira takes top scorer title". AFC. 10 November 2012. Archived from the original on 17 November 2012.
  2. "Livewire Lee name MVP". AFC. 10 November 2012. Archived from the original on 17 November 2012.
  3. "Ulsan Hyundai win 2012 AFC Champions League". AFC. 10 November 2012.
  4. "Ulsan 3 Al Ahli 0". Soccerway.com. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  5. "Criteria for Participation in AFC Club Competitions for 2011–2012 seasons" (PDF). AFC. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 August 2012.
  6. "12 MAs keen to join ACL". AFC. 30 November 2009.
  7. "Singapore seek to pull out of ACL". AFC. 4 October 2010.
  8. "ACL slots maintained". AFC. 21 November 2010. Archived from the original on 12 September 2012.
  9. "ACL 2012 slots confirmed". AFC. 1 December 2011. Archived from the original on 26 December 2012.
  10. "Decision by Competitions Committee & Executive Committee for AFC Club Competitions". AFC. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 July 2018.
  11. "Ad Hoc Committee for Professional Clubs". AFC. 27 July 2010.
  12. 辽宁宏运足球俱乐部正式宣布退出亚冠联赛资格赛. sports.china.com (in Chinese). CDC Corporation. 2 December 2011. Archived from the original on 29 February 2012. Retrieved 5 December 2011.
  13. "FOOTBALL – PERSIPURA (INDONESIA) PROVISIONALLY REINSTATED IN THE AFC CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2012". CAS. 1 February 2012.
  14. "AFC Calendar of Competitions 2012" (PDF). AFC.
  15. "Reds' relief as Adelaide avoid playoff". AFC. 6 December 2011. Archived from the original on 14 September 2012.
  16. "AFC Champions League 2012 Competitions Regulations". AFC. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 July 2012.
  17. "ACL playoff: Adelaide United vs Persipura Jayapura on Feb 16". AFC. 13 February 2012. Archived from the original on 4 December 2012.
  18. "ACL 2012 - Group Stage draw". AFC. 6 December 2011. Archived from the original on 18 September 2012.
  19. "Mouth-watering ties await in R16". AFC. 17 May 2012. Archived from the original on 9 December 2012.
  20. "First-timers face experienced campaigners". AFC. 14 June 2012.
  21. "ACL, AFC Cup draw procedures". AFC. 17 May 2012.
  22. "SF2 winners to host ACL Final". AFC. 14 June 2012. Archived from the original on 17 December 2012.
  23. "Top Scorers (qualifying play-off)". AFC.com.
  24. "Top Scorers (group stage & round of 16)". AFC.com. Archived from the original on 3 February 2013.
  25. "Top Scorers (quarter-finals, semi-finals & final)". AFC.com.
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