2018 AFC Champions League knockout stage

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The 2018 AFC Champions League knockout stage was played from 7 May to 10 November 2018. [1] A total of 16 teams competed in the knockout stage to decide the champions of the 2018 AFC Champions League. [2]

Contents

Qualified teams

The winners and runners-up of each of the eight groups in the group stage advanced to the round of 16, with both West Region (Groups A–D) and East Region (Groups E–H) having eight qualified teams.

RegionGroupWinnersRunners-up
West Region A Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg Al-Ahli Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg Al-Jazira
B Flag of Qatar.svg Al-Duhail Flag of Iran.svg Zob Ahan
C Flag of Iran.svg Persepolis Flag of Qatar.svg Al-Sadd
D Flag of Iran.svg Esteghlal Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg Al-Ain
East Region E Flag of South Korea.svg Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Tianjin Quanjian
F Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Shanghai SIPG Flag of South Korea.svg Ulsan Hyundai
G Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Guangzhou Evergrande Flag of Thailand.svg Buriram United
H Flag of South Korea.svg Suwon Samsung Bluewings Flag of Japan.svg Kashima Antlers

Format

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). [2]

Schedule

The schedule of each round was as follows. [1] Matches in the West Region were played on Mondays and Tuesdays, while matches in the East Region were played on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

RoundFirst legSecond leg
Round of 167–9 May 201814–16 May 2018
Quarter-finals27–29 August 201817–19 September 2018
Semi-finals2–3 October 201823–24 October 2018
Final3 November 201810 November 2018

Bracket

The bracket of the knockout stage was determined as follows:

RoundMatchups
Round of 16(Group winners host second leg)
Quarter-finals(Matchups and order of legs decided by draw, involving four round of 16 winners each in West Region and East Region)
Semi-finals(Winners QF1 and QF3 host first leg, Winners QF2 and QF4 host second leg)
Final(Winner SF2 host first leg, Winner SF1 host second leg, as reversed from previous season's final)
  • Winner SF1 vs. Winner SF2

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. [3] [4] [5]

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

Round of 16

Summary

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 scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
West Region
Al-Jazira Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg 4–4 (a) Flag of Iran.svg Persepolis 3–2 1–2
Al-Sadd Flag of Qatar.svg 4–3 Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg Al-Ahli 2–1 2–2
Zob Ahan Flag of Iran.svg 2–3 Flag of Iran.svg Esteghlal 1–0 1–3
Al-Ain Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg 3–8 Flag of Qatar.svg Al-Duhail 2–4 1–4
Team 1 Agg. Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
East Region
Tianjin Quanjian Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg 2–2 (a) Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Guangzhou Evergrande 0–0 2–2
Buriram United Flag of Thailand.svg 3–4 Flag of South Korea.svg Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 3–2 0–2
Ulsan Hyundai Flag of South Korea.svg 1–3 Flag of South Korea.svg Suwon Samsung Bluewings 1–0 0–3
Kashima Antlers Flag of Japan.svg 4–3 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Shanghai SIPG 3–1 1–2

West Region

Al-Jazira Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg 3–2 Flag of Iran.svg Persepolis
Live Report
Stats Report
Persepolis Flag of Iran.svg 2–1 Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg Al-Jazira
Live Report
Stats Report
Azadi Stadium, Tehran
Attendance: 80,000
Referee: Ma Ning (China)

4–4 on aggregate. Persepolis won on away goals.


Al-Sadd Flag of Qatar.svg 2–1 Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg Al-Ahli
Live Report
Stats Report
Al-Ahli Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg 2–2 Flag of Qatar.svg Al-Sadd
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King Abdullah Sports City, Jeddah
Attendance: 24,150
Referee: Fu Ming (China)

Al-Sadd won 4–3 on aggregate.


Zob Ahan Flag of Iran.svg 1–0 Flag of Iran.svg Esteghlal
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Foolad Shahr Stadium, Isfahan
Attendance: 10,160
Referee: Jumpei Iida (Japan)
Esteghlal Flag of Iran.svg 3–1 Flag of Iran.svg Zob Ahan
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Stats Report
Azadi Stadium, Tehran
Attendance: 75,680
Referee: Ahmed Al-Kaf (Oman)

Esteghlal won 3–2 on aggregate.


Al-Ain Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg 2–4 Flag of Qatar.svg Al-Duhail
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Al-Duhail Flag of Qatar.svg 4–1 Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg Al-Ain
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Stats Report

Al-Duhail won 8–3 on aggregate.

East Region

Guangzhou Evergrande Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg 2–2 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Tianjin Quanjian
Live Report
Stats Report
Tianhe Stadium, Guangzhou
Attendance: 48,632
Referee: Abdulrahman Al-Jassim (Qatar)

2–2 on aggregate. Tianjin Quanjian won on away goals.


Buriram United Flag of Thailand.svg 3–2 Flag of South Korea.svg Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
Live Report
Stats Report
Chang Arena, Buriram
Attendance: 10,382
Referee: Khamis Al-Marri (Qatar)
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors Flag of South Korea.svg 2–0 Flag of Thailand.svg Buriram United
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Stats Report

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors won 4–3 on aggregate.


Suwon Samsung Bluewings Flag of South Korea.svg 3–0 Flag of South Korea.svg Ulsan Hyundai
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Suwon World Cup Stadium, Suwon
Attendance: 3,176
Referee: Chris Beath (Australia)

Suwon Samsung Bluewings won 3–1 on aggregate.


Kashima Antlers Flag of Japan.svg 3–1 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Shanghai SIPG
Live Report
Stats Report
Kashima Soccer Stadium, Kashima
Attendance: 8,860
Referee: Ilgiz Tantashev (Uzbekistan)
Shanghai SIPG Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg 2–1 Flag of Japan.svg Kashima Antlers
Live Report
Stats Report

Kashima Antlers won 4–3 on aggregate.

Quarter-finals

Summary

The draw for the quarter-finals was held on 23 May 2018. [5] 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 scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
West Region
Esteghlal Flag of Iran.svg 3–5 Flag of Qatar.svg Al-Sadd 1–3 2–2
Al-Duhail Flag of Qatar.svg 2–3 Flag of Iran.svg Persepolis 1–0 1–3
Team 1 Agg. Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
East Region
Kashima Antlers Flag of Japan.svg 5–0 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Tianjin Quanjian 2–0 3–0
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors Flag of South Korea.svg 3–3 (2–4 p) Flag of South Korea.svg Suwon Samsung Bluewings 0–3 3–0 (a.e.t.)

West Region

Esteghlal Flag of Iran.svg 1–3 Flag of Qatar.svg Al-Sadd
Live Report
Stats Report
Azadi Stadium, Tehran
Attendance: 78,116
Referee: Ma Ning (China)
Al-Sadd Flag of Qatar.svg 2–2 Flag of Iran.svg Esteghlal
Live Report
Stats Report

Al-Sadd won 5–3 on aggregate.


Al-Duhail Flag of Qatar.svg 1–0 Flag of Iran.svg Persepolis
Live Report
Stats Report
Persepolis Flag of Iran.svg 3–1 Flag of Qatar.svg Al-Duhail
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Stats Report
Azadi Stadium, Tehran
Attendance: 71,312
Referee: Ravshan Irmatov (Uzbekistan)

Persepolis won 3–2 on aggregate.

East Region

Kashima Antlers Flag of Japan.svg 2–0 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Tianjin Quanjian
Live Report
Stats Report
Kashima Soccer Stadium, Kashima
Attendance: 13,634
Referee: Adham Makhadmeh (Jordan)
Tianjin Quanjian Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg 0–3 Flag of Japan.svg Kashima Antlers
Live Report
Stats Report

Kashima Antlers won 5–0 on aggregate.


3–3 on aggregate. Suwon Samsung Bluewings won 4–2 on penalties.

Semi-finals

Summary

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 scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
West Region
Al-Sadd Flag of Qatar.svg 1–2 Flag of Iran.svg Persepolis 0–1 1–1
Team 1 Agg. Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
East Region
Kashima Antlers Flag of Japan.svg 6–5 Flag of South Korea.svg Suwon Samsung Bluewings 3–2 3–3

West Region

Al-Sadd Flag of Qatar.svg 0–1 Flag of Iran.svg Persepolis
Live Report
Stats Report
Persepolis Flag of Iran.svg 1–1 Flag of Qatar.svg Al-Sadd
Live Report
Stats Report
Azadi Stadium, Tehran
Attendance: 81,350
Referee: Valentin Kovalenko (Uzbekistan)

Persepolis won 2–1 on aggregate.

East Region

Kashima Antlers Flag of Japan.svg 3–2 Flag of South Korea.svg Suwon Samsung Bluewings
Live Report
Stats Report
Kashima Soccer Stadium, Kashima
Attendance: 13,044
Referee: Nawaf Shukralla (Bahrain)

Kashima Antlers won 6–5 on aggregate.

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 Flag of Japan.svg 2–0 Flag of Iran.svg Persepolis
Live Report
Stats Report
Kashima Soccer Stadium, Kashima
Attendance: 35,022
Referee: Ma Ning (China)
Persepolis Flag of Iran.svg 0–0 Flag of Japan.svg Kashima Antlers
Live Report
Stats Report
Azadi Stadium, Tehran
Attendance: 100,000
Referee: Ahmed Al-Kaf (Oman)

Kashima Antlers won 2–0 on aggregate.

Notes

  1. The Tianjin Quanjian v Kashima Antlers match was played in Estádio Campo Desportivo, Macau instead of Tianjin Olympic Center Stadium, Tianjin. [6]

References

  1. 1 2 "AFC Competitions Calendar 2018". AFC. 11 January 2018.
  2. 1 2 "2018 AFC Champions League Competition Regulations" (PDF). AFC.
  3. "Impressive quarter-finalists promise thrills". AFC. 22 May 2018.
  4. "AFC Champions League 2018 Knockout Stage Official Draw". YouTube. 23 May 2018.
  5. 1 2 "Quarter-final ties confirmed". AFC. 23 May 2018.
  6. "亚足联官宣权健亚冠主场移师澳门 不在天津举行". Sina Sports. 3 September 2018.
  7. "Geiger to lead ref crew at AFC Champions League semifinal". Major League Soccer. 19 October 2018.