2013亚冠联赛小组赛官方特辑

2013 Group Stage O�cial Programme Our grateful thanks to all our commercial partners for their support of Asian Football Tomorrow brings us all closer To new people, new ideas and new states of mind. Here’s to reaching all the places we’ve never been. Fly Emirates to 6 continents. emirates.com/au Proud Official Partner of the AFC Champions League EMI0007_FifaWC_A5_Streetdance.indd 1 25/01/13 4:16 PM C o n te n ts 5 AFC Message 6 History 14 Group A Al Shabab (KSA) Al Jazira (UAE) Tractorsazi Tabriz (IRN) El Jaish (QAT) 18 Group B Lekhwiya (QAT) Al Ettifaq (KSA) Pakhtakor (UZB) Al Shabab Al Arabi (UAE) 22 Group C Foolad Sepahan (IRN) Al Gharafa (QAT) Al Ahli (KSA) Al Nasr (UAE) 26 Group D Al Ain (UAE) Esteghlal (IRN) Al Rayyan (QAT) Al Hilal (KSA) 30 Group E FC Seoul (KOR) Buriram United (THA) Vegalta Sendai (JPN) Jiangsu Sainty (CHN) 34 Group F Guangzhou Evergrande (CHN) Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (KOR) Muangthong United (THA) Urawa Reds (JPN) 38 Group G Sanfrecce Hiroshima (JPN) Beijing Guoan (CHN) Pohang Steelers (KOR) Bunyodkor (UZB) 42 Group H Central Coast Mariners (AUS) Kashiwa Reysol (JPN) Guizhou Renhe (CHN) Suwon Bluewings (KOR) 46 Roll of Honour While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the content in this publication, for up-to-date information on the 2013 AFC Champions League and the participating clubs, please visit www. the-afc.com. Zhang Jilong AFC Acting President FIFA Executive Committee Member Dato’ Alex Soosay AFC General Secretary Dear friends, Another exciting AFC Champions League season has dawned upon us and it once again promises Asian football fans a feast of top-notch action. The popularity of Asia’s premier club competition soared to new heights last year with television audience ratings touching 262.4 million, an impressive increase of 53% over the previous year. A mix of elite clubs are in the running this time for the highest accolade and the biggest prize fund on offer in Asian club football. Also on offer is the chance to represent Asia in the FIFA Club World Cup later this year. Club football continues to evolve in the continent and it is now an established feeder to national teams, playing a part in the overall improvement of the Member Associations. This Official Programme will give you in-depth information about the competition, clubs and players. We wish all the teams luck and would like to thank the sponsors, fans and the media for their continuous support to the competition. Zhang Jilong AFC Acting President FIFA Executive Committee Member Dato’ Alex Soosay AFC General Secretary A F C M E S S A G E 5 INTO A NEW DECADE 2012 2011 2010 THE AFC CHAMPIONS LE AGUE KICKS OFF ITS 11TH SEASON AS THE GIANTS OF ASIAN CLUB FOOTBALL GO HEAD-TO-HEAD ONCE AGAIN IN THE CONTINENT’S PREMIER COMPETITION. WE TAKE A LOOK BACK AT THE TOURNAMENT’S FIRST 10 YEARS AND WEIGH UP THE CONTENDERS FOR THE LATEST EDITION OF THE AFC CHAMPIONS LEAGUE. H IS T O R Y Ulsan Hyundai’s victory over Al Ahli from Saudi Arabia in the final of the 10th AFC Champions League in November last year was somewhat fitting; no nation has managed to be more dominant in the continental club championship since it was reformatted in 2002 than Korea Republic. Kim Ho-gon’s side cruised to victory over the Jeddah-based Saudis, notching up a 3-0 win to become the third Korean side in four seasons and the fourth in seven years to be crowned the champions of Asia. Played out in front of a capacity crowd in excess of 42,000 at the Ulsan Munsu Stadium, Kim and his team proved that their gamble to focus their efforts on the AFC Champions League to the detriment of their performance in the K-League had paid off. Goals from captain Kwak Tae-hwi, Brazilian striker Rafinha and Kim Seung-yong ensured Ulsan joined Pohang Steelers and Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma as recent winners of the tournament in a pantheon that also includes 2006 winner Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors. “Ulsan have been waiting a long time for this win and we knew we must win the game, but to do that we had to play our normal game, just like before,” said coach Kim after his side secured the title. “I’m so happy for the players. The players want to play in the FIFA Club World Cup and it’s the same for me and I’m really happy to go there. I coached the World Cup team (in 2002 as an assistant to Guus Hiddink) and it’s my happiest time today. “I have achieved so much through this AFC Champions League.” Victory in the AFC Champions League saw Ulsan named the AFC’s Club Team of the Year while Kim was awarded the AFC Coach of the Year. The highest profile award of all, though, also went to the club as Lee Keun-ho, whose impressive performances throughout the knockout stages of the competition, propelled Ulsan to the title. As a result, he was named the AFC Player of the Year, the first player from Korea Republic to win the title. “The secret behind our success was the teamwork and also the passion of every single player and official within the team,” said Lee of Ulsan’s victory. Ulsan’s trophy haul at the AFC Annual Awards underlined Korea’s position of dominance in the competition’s history. In the 10 years of the AFC Champions League, Korean teams have reached the final on six occasions, with Seongnam losing to Al Ittihad in 2004 while Jeonbuk missed out on a second title in 2011 when they lost to Qatar’s Al Sadd in a penalty shootout. But it was a different story when the tournament kicked off in 2002 when the competitive landscape of club football in Asia was given an entire overhaul. Previously, three competitions had existed: the Asian Club Championship, played for by the league winners in each country; the Asian Cup Winners’ Cup, which was contest by the champions of each nation’s knockout competition; and the Asian Super Cup, which saw the winners of the two aforementioned tournaments go head- to-head. That all changed, though, on August 13, 2002, when a new era was ushered in that, over the next decade, would revolutionise club football in Asia. As Jordanian club Al Wihdat hosted Lebanon’s Al Nejmeh at the King Abdullah II Stadium, the AFC Champions League was born. A pair of goals from Sufian Abdullah ensured Al Wihdat took the win that day in Amman, the first victory by any club in an event that has gone on to change the way club football is played at Asian level. Where previously there was conjecture and debate over who deserved the title of Asia’s leading club side, the AFC Champions League ensured there was a definitive answer to a long burning question. The AFC Champions League saw the merging of the Asian Club Championship, the Asian Cup Winners’ Cup and the Asian Super Cup into a consolidated competition that determined without any doubt H IS T O R Y 2009 C M Y CM MY CY CMY K SP13_FB_MERCURIAL_AU-UZ.pdf 1 1/28/13 11:42 AM the continent’s number one club. Al Wihdat’s win over Al Nejmeh took the Amman-based club into the second of four qualifying rounds in the west of the continent that would ultimately decide who featured in the Group Stages of the inaugural competition. In the east, the format was similar, with three preliminary rounds determining the make-up of what would be four four-team groups from which only the winners would progress to the semi-finals. Eventually, Al Ain of the United Arab Emirates held off the valiant attempts of Thailand’s BEC Tero Sasana to clinch the inaugural title, the first time a club from the Middle Eastern nation had been crowned continental champions. Further refinements to the tournament followed in the coming seasons as clubs from the west of the continent dominated the early years, with Saudi Arabia’s Al Ittihad claiming the title in both 2004 and 2005 before Jeonbuk became the first winner from the east in 2006. That sparked a shift in power to the east of the continent and an awakening amongst the J.League, with Urawa Reds claiming the title in front of a bumper crowd at Saitama Stadium against Sepahan from Iran in 2007. Japan’s position of strength continued the following season as Gamba Osaka overcame Urawa in a pulsating semi-final before handing Adelaide United a 5-0 aggregate defeat to keep the trophy in the Land of the Rising Sun. The Koreans, however, were keen to prove that whatever their Japanese counterparts were capable of achieving, they could at the very least match. Pohang Steelers denied Al Ittihad the prospect of becoming a three- time winner with victory over the Saudis in the final in Tokyo and, 12 months later, the same venue played host as Seongnam downed Zobahan from Iran. However, after six years residing in the east, the title returned to the west in 2011 with Qatar’s Al Sadd downing Jeonbuk in the final thanks to a penalty shootout that saw goalkeeper Mohamed Saqr emerge as his team’s hero. That state of affairs, though, was to last only 12 months as Ulsan reclaimed the title for the Koreans, continuing a remarkable run of success. However, having focused so intently on winning the AFC Champions League that they sacrificed their form in the K-League, Ulsan will not be defending their title, leaving it to compatriots Suwon Bluewings, Pohang Steelers, Jeonbuk and FC Seoul to fly the flag for Korea. All four have strong track records in the competition, as too do returning former winners Urawa, who join J.League winners Sanfrecce Hiroshima, tournament debutants Vegalta Sendai and Kashiwa Reysol in attempting to take the title back to Japan. China’s Guangzhou Evergrande made a significant impact on their debut season in 2011 and the Marcello Lippi-coached side will no doubt be keen to lead the charge of Chinese Super League sides that also features the involvement of Jiangsu Sainty, Guizhou Renhe and Beijing Guoan. From the west, Al Ahli will aim to go one step further in 2013 after finishing as runners-up last season and, while cross-Jeddah rivals Al Ittihad have missed out on a place in this year’s tournament, Al Hilal, Al Ettifaq and domestic champions Al Shabab ensure Saudi Arabia have another strong contingent in this year’s competition. Javad Nekounam’s return to Esteghlal mark the Iranians out as one of the favourites and Al Ain of the United Arab Emirates – winners of the inaugural tournament – return in an attempt to add to their 2003 success. Once again a competition packed with intrigue and surprise lies ahead as the quest to determine Asia’s leading club team kicks off in earnest. H IS T O R Y 2007 2008 2005 2004 11 I AM IMAGINATION * W ire le ss c on ne ct io n w ith s m ar t d ev ic es a va ila bl e w ith W U -1 a W ire le ss M ob ile A da pt er , s ol d se pa ra te ly. Th is fu nc tio n re qu ire s in st al lin g a W ire le ss M ob ile A da pt er U til ity to th e sm ar t d ev ic e pr io r t o us e. T he u til ity c an b e do w nl oa de d at n o ch ar ge fr om th e ap pr op ria te a pp lic at io n st or e. I AM THE NIKON D5200. I am your creative eye. With a vari-angle monitor, Full HD movie, wireless connectivity with smart devices* and an ISO range up to 6400. I am turning your imagination into images. iam.nikon-asia.com 39-point AF system 24.1 megapixels D5200_BL_YL_SP_IMAGINATION_ENG_2.indd 1 11/20/12 5:18 PM Al Jazira (UAE) Al Shabab (KSA) El Jaish (QAT) ATractorsazi Tabriz (IRN) Al Effifaq (KSA) Lekhwiya (QAT) Al Shabab Al Arabi (UAE) BPakhtakor(UZB) Al Gharafa (QAT) Foolad Sepahan (IRN) Al Nasr (UAE) CAl Ahli(KSA) Esteghlal (IRN) Al Ain (UAE) Al Hilal (KSA) DAl Rayyan(QAT) Buriram United (THA) FC Seoul (KOR) Jiangsu Sainty (CHN) EVegalta Sandai(JPN) Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (KOR) Guangzhou Evergrande (CHN) Urawa Reds (JPN) FMuangthong(THA) Beijing Guoan (CHN) Sanfrecce Hiroshima (JPN) Bunyodkor (UZB) GPohang Steelers (KOR) Central Coast Mariners (AUS) Suwon Bluewings (UAE) HGuizhou Renhe (CHN) P A R T IC IP A T IN G T E A M S Kashiwa Reysol (JPN) Qualified as: President’s Cup – Winner/UAE Pro League – Fourth • Founded: 1974 • Ground: Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi (42,000) UAE Pro League (1): 2011, Runners-up 2010, 2009, 2008 President’s Cup (2): 2012, 2011, Runners-up 2002 AFC Champions League: Round of 16 2012; Group Stage 2011, 2010, 2009 Qualified as: Saudi League – Champion • Founded: 1947 • Ground: King Fahad International Stadium, Riyadh (76,000) Saudi League (6): 2012, 2006, 2004, 1993, 1992, 1991 King’s Cup (2): 2009, 2008 Crown Prince Cup (3): 1999, 1996, 1993 AFC Champions League: Semi-finals 2010; Quarter-finals 2006; Round of 16 2011, 2009; Group Stage 2007, 2005 Asian Club Championship: Runners-up 1992 Asian Cup Winners’ Cup (1): 2001 Asian Super Cup: Runners-up 2001 Al Jazira (UAE)Al Shabab (KSA) No. Pos. Name BornNo. Pos. Name Born 1 GK Ali Khaseif 09/06/1987 2 DF Khalid Sebil 22/06/1987 3 DF Juma Abdulla 11/03/1982 4 DF Yaser Matar 20/09/1985 5 DF Sami Rubaiya 22/05/1980 7 FW Ahmed Jumaa 02/01/1986 8 MF Abdulla Qasem 11/08/1986 9 FW Ali Ahmed Mabkhout 05/10/1990 10 MF Ibrahim Diaky 24/05/1982 11 MF Ahmed Al Mahri 18/06/1988 12 FW Fernandinho (BRA) 25/11/1985 18 MF Abdulla Mousa 23/02/1987 20 MF Shin Hyung-min (KOR) 18/07/1986 21 DF Mohamed Al Menhali 22/10/1990 22 MF Matias Delgado (ARG) 15/12/1982 23 MF Hamad Al Hammadi 12/02/1991 24 MF Subait Khater 27/02/1980 25 MF Khamis Esmaeel 16/08/1989 26 MF Salem Masoud 08/01/1985 27 DF Ali Al Ameri 07/01/1989 28 DF Saif Khalfan 31/01/1993 30 MF Salim Ali 27/09/1993 31 MF Hamad Al Hosani 01/03/1993 33 GK Khalid Eisa 15/09/1989 34 MF Khalid Butti 29/08/1991 40 GK Ahmed Al Shabibi 03/01/1993 44 MF Ahmed Al Hashmi 28/09/1995 77 MF Sulthan Al Menhali 18/01/1989 90 FW Mohammed Al Khoori 01/01/1993 99 FW Ricardo Oliveira (BRA) 06/05/1980 1 GK Waleed Abdullah 19/04/1986 2 DF Abdulla Alaastaa 24/08/1986 3 DF Sayyaf Al Bishi 18/06/1980 5 DF Naif Al Qadi 03/04/1979 6 DF Omar Al Ghamadi 11/04/1979 7 MF Majed Al Marhum 21/05/1982 8 MF Fernando Menegazzo (BRA) 03/05/1981 10 MF Marcelo Camacho (BRA) 24/03/1980 11 MF Ahmed Ateef 14/04/1983 12 MF Abdulmalek Al Khaibari 13/03/1986 13 DF Hassan Fallatha 27/01/1986 14 DF Abdullah Shuhail 22/01/1985 15 FW Sebastian Tagliabue (ARG) 22/02/1985 16 MF Fahad Al Dosari 01/05/1990 17 DF Kwak Tae-hwi (KOR) 08/07/1981 18 MF Abdulmajeed Al Ruwali 28/08/1986 19 DF Walid Jahdali 01/06/1982 23 GK Hussain Shaian 23/05/1989 24 MF Khaled Al Mutairi 23/10/1990 25 FW Nassir Al Shamrani 23/11/1983 26 DF Hadi Khmagh 03/04/1990 27 MF Saeed Al Dosari 15/07/1990 28 MF Tamim Al Dawsari 04/06/1989 29 MF Fahad Al Yamani 23/11/1989 30 MF Bader Al Seliteen 16/07/1990 32 DF Saleh Al Qumayzi 30/10/1991 33 GK Mohammed Al Owais 10/10/1991 44 FW Muhannad Abu Radiyah 14/10/1986 Overview After managing just one win in their first 18 AFC Champions League matches, Al Jazira improved significantly in 2012 and reached the last 16 for the first time only to suffer a penalty shootout defeat by Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli following a thrilling 3-3 draw. Al Jazira are competing in the AFC Champions League for the fifth consecutive year after successfully defending the UAE President’s Cup with a 3-1 win over Baniyas, while posting a disappointing fourth place finish - their lowest since 2003 – in the UAE Pro League having claimed a maiden domestic title a year earlier. The Abu Dhabi side lifted their first trophies in 2007 with victories in the United Arab Emirates Federation Cup and GCC Club Champions Cup before winning the UAE League Cup in 2010. Key Players Ricardo Oliveira was the top scorer in the AFC Champions League last season after netting 12 goals in only seven games. He joined Al Jazira from Spain’s Real Betis in 2009 in a US$14 million deal following spells in his native Brazil and Italy. Former United Arab Emirates international midfielder Subait Khater won the inaugural AFC Champions League title with Al Ain in 2003. He joined Al Jazira in 2008 having spent over a decade with Al Ain. Korea Republic international Shin Hyung-min, who joined Al Jazira in August, has also previously tasted success in the AFC Champions League with Pohang Steelers in 2009. The 26-year-old made his full international debut in 2010 having burst onto the scene with the U-20 side at the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship. Coach: Luis Milla (ESP) Al Jazira parted company with Brazilian coach Paulo Bonamigo less than a week before the start of the 2013 AFC Champions League, with Spaniard Luis Milla taking charge. A former player with Barcelona, Real Madrid and Valencia between 1985 and 2001, Milla took his first coaching role in 2007/2008 with Spanish side Getafe as assistant to former Danish international and the current Swansea City boss Michael Luadrup.He was appointed Spain U-19 coach in 2008 and took charge of the Spanish side at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Overview Al Shabab have emerged as one of Saudi Arabia’s top clubs in recent years by winning three league titles over the last eight seasons while also claiming back-to-back King’s Cup titles in 2008 and 2009. Last season’s sixth domestic crown earned a seventh appearance in the AFC Champions League, with Al Shabab having reached the semi-finals in 2010 before losing to eventual champions Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma on away goals. They also reached the quarter-finals in 2006 and the Round of 16 in 2009 and 2011 but bowed out at the Group Stage in 2005 and 2007. Al Shabab also won the the penultimate Asian Cup Winners’ Cup in 2001 after losing the 1992 Asian Club Championship final to Iran’s Pas. Key Players Korea Republic international defender Kwak Tae-hwi led Ulsan Hyundai to the AFC Champions League title last season before joining Al Shabab in January. The tall and experienced centre-back, who helped Korea finish third at the 2011 AFC Asian Cup, scored in the final against Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli having been Ulsan’s top scorer during the 2011 campaign. Nassir Al Shamrani initially joined Al Shabab on loan from Al Wahda in 2006. He has won the league’s Golden Boot in four of the last five seasons including last year where he netted 21 goals to help Al Shabab to win the league title. Brazilian midfielder Marcelo Camacho returned to Al Shabab in June after helping Al Ahli reach the knockout stage of the AFC Champions League. Coach: Michel Preud’homme (BEL) Former Belgium international goalkeeper Michel Preud’homme enjoyed a highly successful first season in charge at Al Shabab in 2011-12 as he led the Riyadh club to their first league title in six years with an unbeaten record. The 54-year-old, who played for his country at two FIFA World Cups in 1990 and 1994, was handed his first head coaching job at former club Standard Liege and led them to a Belgian league title in 2008. He went on to win cup competitions in Belgium with Gent in 2010 and in the Netherlands at FC Twente in 2011 before he took over at Al Shabab. 1 Khaseif 9 Mabkhout 99 Oliveira 10 25 22 12 Esmaeel Fernandinho DelgadoDiaky 3 18 20 24 MousaAbdulla Khater Shin Hyung-min 1514 1 Abdullah 25 Al Shamrani 15 Tagliabue11 8 1810 Menegazzo Camacho Al Ruwali Ateef 5 17 132 Kwak Tae-hwiAl QadiAlaastaa Fallatha G R O U P A G R O U P A Qualified as: Qatar Stars League – Runner-up • Founded: 2007 • Ground: Al Rayyan Stadium, Doha (25,740)Qualified as: Qualified as: Iran Pro League – Runners-up • Founded: 1970 • Ground: Yadegar Emam Stadium, Tabriz (67,858) El Jaish (QAT) No. Pos. N