Event | 2018 AFC Cup | ||||||
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Date | 27 October 2018 | ||||||
Venue | Basra Sports City, Basra | ||||||
Man of the Match | Hammadi Ahmad (Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya) [1] | ||||||
Referee | Abdulrahman Al-Jassim (Qatar) [1] | ||||||
Attendance | 24,665 [1] | ||||||
Weather | 19 °C (66 °F) [1] | ||||||
The 2018 AFC Cup Final was the final match of the 2018 AFC Cup, the 15th edition of the AFC Cup, Asia's secondary club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). [2]
The final was contested as a single match between Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya from Iraq and Altyn Asyr from Turkmenistan. The match was hosted by Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya at the Basra Sports City in Basra on 27 October 2018.
Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya won the final 2–0 for their third consecutive and overall AFC Cup title. [3] [4]
Team | Zone | Previous finals appearances (bold indicates winners) |
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Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya | West Asia Zone (WAFF) | 2 ( 2016 , 2017 ) |
Altyn Asyr | Central Asia Zone (CAFA) (Inter-zone play-off winner) | None |
This was Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya's third consecutive AFC Cup final, a record shared with Al-Faisaly (2005 to 2007) and Al-Kuwait (2011 to 2013). If they were to win the final, they would become the first team to win three consecutive AFC Cup titles, and also tie Al-Kuwait as record three-time winners of the AFC Cup.
Altyn Asyr were the first team from Turkmenistan to reach the AFC Cup final. If they were to win the final, they would become the second team from Central Asia to win the AFC Cup, after Nasaf from Uzbekistan in 2011.
This was the second AFC Cup final played in Iraq, after the 2012 final played at the Franso Hariri Stadium in Arbil. While Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya were also the home team in the 2016 AFC Cup Final, they hosted the match at the Suheim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, Qatar, as Iraqi teams were not allowed to host their home matches during that time. The ban was lifted in March 2018, [5] and Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya played their subsequent home matches at the Karbala Sports City in Karbala.
Note: In all results below, the score of the finalist is given first (H: home; A: away).
Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya | Round | Altyn Asyr | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Opponent | Result | Group stage | Opponent | Result | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Al-Jazeera | 2–2 (H) | Matchday 1 | Alay Osh | 6–3 (A) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Al-Suwaiq | 1–0 (A) | Matchday 2 | Istiklol | 2–2 (H) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Malkiya | 4–3 (A) | Matchday 3 | Ahal | 0–0 (A) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Al-Jazeera | 1–1 (A) | Matchday 4 | Ahal | 1–0 (H) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Malkiya | 1–1 (H) | Matchday 5 | Alay Osh | 5–0 (H) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Al-Suwaiq | 2–0 (H) | Matchday 6 | Istiklol | 3–2 (A) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Group A runners-up
Source: AFC | Final standings | Group D winners
Source: AFC | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Opponent | Agg. | 1st leg | 2nd leg | Knockout stage | Opponent | Agg. | 1st leg | 2nd leg | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Al-Ahed | 5–3 | 3–1 (H) | 2–2 (A) | Zonal semi-finals | Inter-zone play-off semi-finals | Bengaluru | 5–2 | 3–2 (A) | 2–0 (H) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Al-Jazeera | 4–1 | 1–0 (A) | 3–1 (H) | Zonal finals | Inter-zone play-off final | April 25 | 3–3 (a) | 2–2 (A) | 1–1 (H) |
The final was played as a single match, with the host team (winners of the West Asia Zonal final) alternated from the previous season's final.
If tied after regulation, extra time and, if necessary, penalty shoot-out was used to decide the winner. [2]
Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya | Altyn Asyr |
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Man of the Match: Assistant referees: [1] | Match rules [2]
|
The Iraq Stars League, is the highest level of the Iraqi football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the Iraqi Premier Division League. It is governed by the Iraqi Pro League Association.
Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya is an Iraqi sports club based in Rusafa District, Baghdad that competes in the Iraq Stars League, the top-flight of Iraqi football. Founded in 1931, it is the oldest existing club in Iraq.
Erbil Sports Club is an Iraqi professional sports club based in the city of Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq that plays in the Iraq Stars League, the first-tier of Iraqi football.
Football Club Altyn Asyr, also known as Altyn Asyr Ashgabat or simply Altyn Asyr, which translates to Golden Century, is a Turkmen professional football club based in Ashgabat. Founded in 2008, the club competes in the Ýokary Liga, the top tier of Turkmen football. It has remained there ever since, winning the Turkmenistan Higher League championship eight times in a row. The club also won the Turkmenistan Cup for 5 times in 2009, 2015, 2016, 2019 and 2020 and has been regular in AFC Cup recently. The team plays in the Ashgabat Stadium.
Radhi Shenaishil Swadi is a former Iraqi footballer and former coach of the Iraq national football team.
Humam Tariq Faraj Naoush is an Iraqi professional footballer who plays for Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya and the Iraq national team as winger. He also played for Esteghlal F.C. between 2018 and 2019. Tariq has long been considered one of Iraq's most talented footballers. He has represented Iraq at Under-19, Under-20, Under-22, Under-23 and full international level, making his debut for the national team at the age of 16, making him the youngest Iraqi in history to represent the senior team. Humam represented Iraq at the Rio Olympics in 2016, playing in all 3 of Iraq's matches against Denmark, Brazil and South Africa. Tariq has also played at the 2013 FIFA Under-20 World Cup, where he was one of Iraq's star players as the underdogs went on a run to the semi-final. At senior level, he has played at the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, where they beat the odds and reached the semi-final.
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