2018 AFC U-23 Championship

The 2018 AFC U-23 Championship (also known as the 2018 AFC U-23 Asian Cup) was the third edition of the AFC U-23 Championship, the biennial international age-restricted football championship organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for the men's under-23 national teams of Asia. A total of 16 teams competed in the tournament. It took place between 9–27 January 2018,[1] and was hosted by China.[2]

2018 AFC U-23 Championship
2018年亚足联U-23锦标赛
Tournament details
Host countryChina
Dates9–27 January 2018
Teams16 (from 1 confederation)
Venue(s)4 (in 4 host cities)
Final positions
Champions Uzbekistan (1st title)
Runners-up Vietnam
Third place Qatar
Fourth place South Korea
Tournament statistics
Matches played32
Goals scored82 (2.56 per match)
Attendance65,850 (2,058 per match)
Top scorer(s) Almoez Ali (6 goals)
Best player(s) Odiljon Hamrobekov
Fair play award Vietnam

Uzbekistan defeated Vietnam in the final to win their first title. Japan were the defending champions, but failed to defend the title after losing to Uzbekistan in the quarter-finals.

Hosts selection

Qualification

The qualifiers were held from 15 to 23 July 2017.[4] China also participated in the qualifiers, even though they had already qualified automatically as hosts.[2]

Qualified teams

The following 16 teams qualified for the final tournament.[5]

Team Qualified as Appearance Previous best performance
 China PRHosts3rdGroup stage (2013, 2016)
 OmanGroup A winners2ndGroup stage (2013)
 IraqGroup B winners3rdChampions (2013)
 QatarGroup C winners2ndFourth place (2016)
 UzbekistanGroup D winners3rdGroup stage (2013, 2016)
 PalestineGroup E winners1stDebut
 AustraliaGroup F winners3rdQuarter-finals (2013)
 North KoreaGroup G winners3rdQuarter-finals (2016)
 MalaysiaGroup H winners1stDebut
 South KoreaGroup I winners3rdRunners-up (2016)
 ThailandGroup H runners-up[note 1]2ndGroup stage (2016)
 SyriaGroup C runners-up[note 1]3rdQuarter-finals (2013)
 VietnamGroup I runners-up[note 1]2ndGroup stage (2016)
 JordanGroup E runners-up[note 1]3rdThird place (2013)
 JapanGroup J runners-up[note 1]3rdChampions (2016)
 Saudi ArabiaGroup B runners-up[note 1]3rdRunners-up (2013)

Notes:

  1. As China (Group J winners) had already automatically qualified for the final tournament as hosts, the six best runners-up qualified for the final tournament.

Venues

The competition was played in four venues in four cities, all in the province of Jiangsu.[6]

Changzhou Kunshan
Changzhou Olympic Sports Centre Kunshan Stadium
Capacity: 38,000 Capacity: 25,000
Jiangyin Changshu
Jiangyin Stadium Changshu Stadium
Capacity: 32,000 Capacity: 35,000

Draw

The draw of the final tournament was held on 24 October 2017, 16:00 CST (UTC+8), at the Traders Fudu Hotel in Changzhou.[7] The 16 teams were drawn into four groups of four teams.[6] The teams were seeded according to their performance in the 2016 AFC U-23 Championship final tournament and qualification, with the hosts China automatically seeded and assigned to Position A1 in the draw.[8]

Pot 1 Pot 2 Pot 3 Pot 4

Match officials

The following referees were chosen for the 2018 AFC U-23 Championship. Additional assistant referees were used in this tournament.[9]

Referees
Assistant referees

Squads

Players born on or after 1 January 1995 are eligible to compete in the tournament. Each team must register a squad of minimum 18 players and maximum 23 players, minimum three of whom must be goalkeepers (Regulations Articles 24.1 and 24.2).[10]

Group stage

The top two teams of each group advance to the quarter-finals.

Tiebreakers

Teams are ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss), and if tied on points, the following tiebreaking criteria are applied, in the order given, to determine the rankings (Regulations Article 9.3):[10]

  1. Points in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  2. Goal difference in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  3. Goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  4. If more than two teams are tied, and after applying all head-to-head criteria above, a subset of teams are still tied, all head-to-head criteria above are reapplied exclusively to this subset of teams;
  5. Goal difference in all group matches;
  6. Goals scored in all group matches;
  7. Penalty shoot-out if only two teams are tied and they met in the last round of the group;
  8. Disciplinary points (yellow card = 1 point, red card as a result of two yellow cards = 3 points, direct red card = 3 points, yellow card followed by direct red card = 4 points);
  9. Drawing of lots.

All times are local, CST (UTC+8).

Schedule
Matchday Dates Matches
Matchday 1 9–11 January 2018 1 v 4, 2 v 3
Matchday 2 12–14 January 2018 4 v 2, 3 v 1
Matchday 3 15–17 January 2018 1 v 2, 3 v 4

Group A

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Qatar 3 3 0 0 4 1 +3 9 Knockout stage
2  Uzbekistan 3 2 0 1 2 1 +1 6
3  China PR (H) 3 1 0 2 4 3 +1 3
4  Oman 3 0 0 3 0 5 5 0
Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
(H) Host.
China PR 3–0 Oman
Live Report
Report
Qatar 1–0 Uzbekistan
Live Report
Report

Uzbekistan 1–0 China PR
Live Report
Report
Attendance: 13,800
Referee: Muhammad Taqi (Singapore)
Oman 0–1 Qatar
Live Report
Report

China PR 1–2 Qatar
Live Report
Report
Uzbekistan 1–0 Oman
Live Report
Report

Group B

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Japan 3 3 0 0 5 1 +4 9 Knockout stage
2  Palestine 3 1 1 1 6 3 +3 4
3  North Korea 3 1 1 1 3 4 1 4
4  Thailand 3 0 0 3 1 7 6 0
Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
North Korea 1–0 Thailand
  • Ri Hun  2'
Live Report
Report
Japan 1–0 Palestine
Live Report
Report
Attendance: 360
Referee: Fu Ming (China)

Palestine 1–1 North Korea
Live Report
Report
Thailand 0–1 Japan
Live Report
Report
Attendance: 1,080

Japan 3–1 North Korea
Live Report
Report
Thailand 1–5 Palestine
Live Report
Report

Group C

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Iraq 3 2 1 0 5 1 +4 7 Knockout stage
2  Malaysia 3 1 1 1 3 5 2 4
3  Jordan 3 0 2 1 3 4 1 2
4  Saudi Arabia 3 0 2 1 2 3 1 2
Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Iraq 4–1 Malaysia
Live Report
Report
Jordan 2–2 Saudi Arabia
Live Report
Report
Attendance: 240
Referee: Jumpei Iida (Japan)

Malaysia 1–1 Jordan
Live Report
Report
  • Al-Barri  16'
Saudi Arabia 0–0 Iraq
Live Report
Report
Attendance: 1,010
Referee: Ma Ning (China)

Iraq 1–0 Jordan
Live Report
Report
Saudi Arabia 0–1 Malaysia
Live Report
Report
Attendance: 482
Referee: Ryuji Sato (Japan)

Group D

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  South Korea 3 2 1 0 5 3 +2 7 Knockout stage
2  Vietnam 3 1 1 1 2 2 0 4
3  Australia 3 1 0 2 5 5 0 3
4  Syria 3 0 2 1 1 3 2 2
Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Australia 3–1 Syria
Live Report
Report
Attendance: 1,528
South Korea 2–1 Vietnam
Live Report
Report

Vietnam 1–0 Australia
Live Report
Report
Syria 0–0 South Korea
Live Report
Report

South Korea 3–2 Australia
Live Report
Report
Syria 0–0 Vietnam
Live Report
Report
Attendance: 400
Referee: Ahmed Al-Kaf (Oman)

Knockout stage

In the knockout stage, extra time and penalty shoot-out are used to decide the winner if necessary (Regulations Articles 12.1 and 12.2).[10]

Bracket

 
Quarter-finalsSemi-finalsFinal
 
          
 
19 January – Changzhou
 
 
 Qatar3
 
23 January – Changzhou
 
 Palestine2
 
 Qatar2 (3)
 
20 January – Changshu
 
 Vietnam (p)2 (4)
 
 Iraq3 (3)
 
27 January – Changzhou
 
 Vietnam (p)3 (5)
 
 Vietnam1
 
19 January – Jiangyin
 
 Uzbekistan (a.e.t.)2
 
 Japan0
 
23 January – Kunshan
 
 Uzbekistan4
 
 Uzbekistan (a.e.t.)4
 
20 January – Kunshan
 
 South Korea1 Third place match
 
 South Korea2
 
26 January – Kunshan
 
 Malaysia1
 
 Qatar1
 
 
 South Korea0
 

Quarter-finals

Japan 0–4 Uzbekistan
Live Report
Report
Attendance: 380
Referee: Fu Ming (China)

Qatar 3–2 Palestine
Live Report
Report

South Korea 2–1 Malaysia
Live Report
Report
Attendance: 738

Semi-finals


Uzbekistan 4–1 (a.e.t.) South Korea
Live Report
Report

Third place match

Qatar 1–0 South Korea
Live Report
Report
Attendance: 168

Final

This was the first time ever that Vietnam and Uzbekistan met together in final. For Vietnam, this was their first appearance in an AFC final at any level.

Vietnam 1–2 (a.e.t.) Uzbekistan
Live Report
Report

Winners

2018 AFC U-23 Championship

Uzbekistan
First title

Awards

The following awards were given at the conclusion of the tournament:

Top Goalscorer[11] Most Valuable Player[12] Fair Play award[13]
Almoez Ali Odiljon Hamrobekov  Vietnam

Statistics

Goalscorers

There were 82 goals scored in 32 matches, for an average of 2.56 goals per match.

6 goals

5 goals

3 goals

2 goals

1 goal

1 own goal

  • Thomas Deng (against Syria)
  • Kang Ju-hyok (against Japan)
  • Mohamad Basim (against North Korea)

Tournament team rankings

As per statistical convention in football, matches decided in extra time are counted as wins and losses, while matches decided by penalty shoot-outs are counted as draws.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Final result
 Uzbekistan 6 5 0 1 12 3 +9 15 Champions
 Vietnam 6 1 3 2 8 9 1 6 Runners-up
 Qatar 6 5 1 0 10 5 +5 16 Third place
4  South Korea 6 3 1 2 8 9 1 10 Fourth place
5  Japan 4 3 0 1 5 5 0 9 Eliminated in
quarter-finals
6  Iraq 4 2 2 0 8 4 +4 8
7  Palestine 4 1 1 2 8 6 +2 4
8  Malaysia 4 1 1 2 4 7 3 4
9  North Korea 3 1 1 1 3 4 1 4 Eliminated in
group stage
10  China PR (H) 3 1 0 2 4 3 +1 3
11  Australia 3 1 0 2 5 5 0 3
12  Jordan 3 0 2 1 3 4 1 2
13  Saudi Arabia 3 0 2 1 2 3 1 2
14  Syria 3 0 2 1 1 3 2 2
15  Oman 3 0 0 3 0 5 5 0
16  Thailand 3 0 0 3 1 7 6 0
Source: AFC
(H) Host.

Broadcasting rights

References

  1. "AFC Competitions Calendar 2018". AFC. 11 January 2018.
  2. "Stage Set For AFC U-23 Championship 2018 Qualifiers Draw". AFC. 16 March 2017. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
  3. "关于承办2018年亚足联U-23锦标赛决赛的意见征求函" (in Chinese). Chinese Football Association. 28 April 2016. Archived from the original on 25 October 2017. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
  4. "AFC Calendar of Competitions 2017 (UPDATED) Updated as of 12 April 2016" (PDF). The-AFC.com. 12 April 2016.
  5. "2018 AFC U-23 Championship: Stage set for enticing Finals". AFC. 24 July 2017.
  6. "AFC U-23 Championship China 2018 groups revealed in Changzhou". AFC. 24 October 2017.
  7. "Groups to be revealed as China readies for AFC U-23 Championship Draw". AFC. 23 October 2017.
  8. "2018 AFC U-23 Championship Draw". YouTube. 24 October 2017.
  9. "Refereeing Technical Report". Retrieved 20 February 2019.
  10. "Regulations AFC U-23 Championship 2018" (PDF). AFC.
  11. "Almoez Ali lands Top Scorer award". AFC. 27 January 2018.
  12. "Xamrobekov dedicates award to squad, fans". AFC. 27 January 2018.
  13. "[Football] Lễ Trao Giải U23 VN - Uzbekistan, AFC U23 Championship". Youtube. 27 January 2018.
  14. "FOX SPORTS to broadcast Australian U23 matches LIVE & EXCLUSIVE".
  15. "CCTV-5 Schedule" (in Chinese). CCTV. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  16. "CCTV-5+ Schedule" (in Chinese). CCTV. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  17. "PP Sport Schedule" (in Chinese). PPTV. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  18. "Guangdong Sports Schedule" (in Chinese). GDTV. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  19. "The Official TV Listings for FOX Sports, FOX Sports 2, FOX Sports 3". Fox Sports. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  20. "JTBC3 Fox Sports Programs" (in Korean). JTBC3 Fox Sports. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  21. "Lịch TRỰC TIẾP VCK U23 châu Á 2018 trên VTV" (in Vietnamese). VTV. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
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