2021 AFC Champions League knockout stage

Last updated

The 2021 AFC Champions League knockout stage was played from 13 September to 23 November 2021. [1] A total of 16 teams competed in the knockout stage to decide the champions of the 2021 AFC Champions League. [2]

Contents

Qualified teams

The group winners and three best runners-up in the group stage from each region advanced to the round of 16, with both West Region (Groups A–E) and East Region (Groups F–J) having eight qualified teams.

RegionGroupWinnersRunners-up
(best three from each region)
West Region A Flag of Tajikistan.svg Istiklol Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg Al-Hilal
B Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg Sharjah Flag of Iran.svg Tractor
C Flag of Iran.svg Esteghlal —
D Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg Al-Nassr —
E Flag of Iran.svg Persepolis Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg Al-Wahda
East Region F Flag of South Korea.svg Ulsan Hyundai Flag of Thailand.svg BG Pathum United
G Flag of Japan.svg Nagoya Grampus Flag of South Korea.svg Pohang Steelers
H Flag of South Korea.svg Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors —
I Flag of Japan.svg Kawasaki Frontale Flag of South Korea.svg Daegu FC
J Flag of Japan.svg Cerezo Osaka —

Combination table

If two group winners played each other, the group winner marked with * hosted the match. [3]

Format

In the knockout stage, the 16 teams played a single-elimination tournament, with the teams split into the two regions until the final. All ties were played as a single-leg match (Regulations Article 9.1). [4] Extra time and penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winners if necessary (Regulations Article 9.3 and 10.1). [2]

Schedule

The schedule of each round was as follows. [1]

RoundDate
Round of 1613–15 September 2021
Quarter-finals16–17 October 2021
Semi-finals19–20 October 2021
Final23 November 2021

Bracket

The bracket of the knockout stage was determined as follows:

RoundFormat
Round of 16

Matchups within East region and West region decided by a series of permutations,
based upon the three best runner-ups who qualified

Quarter-finalsMatchups decided by a draw
  • QF West 1
  • QF West 2
  • QF East 1
  • QF East 2
Semi-finals
  • SF West: Winners of QF West 1 vs. Winners of QF West 2
  • SF East: Winners of QF East 1 vs. Winners of QF East 2
Final
  • Winners of SF West vs. Winners of SF East

 
 Round of 16 Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
 
              
 
14 September – Sharjah
 
 
 Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg Sharjah 1 (4)
 
16 October – Riyadh
 
 Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg Al Wahda (p)1 (5)
 
 Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg Al Wahda 1
 
14 September – Al Rayyan, Qatar
 
 Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg Al-Nassr 5
 
 Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg Al Nassr 1
 
19 October – Riyadh
 
 Flag of Iran.svg Tractor 0
 
 Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg Al-Nassr 1
 
14 September – Dushanbe
 
 Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg Al-Hilal 2
 
 Flag of Tajikistan.svg Istiklol 0
 
16 October – Riyadh
 
 Flag of Iran.svg Persepolis 1
 
 Flag of Iran.svg Persepolis 0
 
13 September – Dubai, UAE
 
 Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg Al-Hilal 3
 
 Flag of Iran.svg Esteghlal 0
 
23 November – Riyadh
 
 Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg Al-Hilal 2
 
 Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg Al-Hilal 2
 
15 September – Jeonju
 
 Flag of South Korea.svg Pohang Steelers 0
 
 Flag of South Korea.svg Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (p)1 (4)
 
17 October – Jeonju
 
 Flag of Thailand.svg BG Pathum United 1 (2)
 
 Flag of South Korea.svg Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 2
 
14 September – Ulsan
 
 Flag of South Korea.svg Ulsan Hyundai (a.e.t.)3
 
 Flag of South Korea.svg Ulsan Hyundai (p)0 (3)
 
20 October – Jeonju
 
 Flag of Japan.svg Kawasaki Frontale 0 (2)
 
 Flag of South Korea.svg Ulsan Hyundai 1 (4)
 
15 September – Osaka
 
 Flag of South Korea.svg Pohang Steelers (p)1 (5)
 
 Flag of Japan.svg Cerezo Osaka 0
 
17 October – Jeonju
 
 Flag of South Korea.svg Pohang Steelers 1
 
 Flag of South Korea.svg Pohang Steelers 3
 
14 September – Toyota
 
 Flag of Japan.svg Nagoya Grampus 0
 
 Flag of Japan.svg Nagoya Grampus 4
 
 
 Flag of South Korea.svg Daegu FC 2
 

Round of 16

Summary

The round of 16 was played over one leg, with the matchups determined by the combination tables based on which group runners-up qualified.

Team 1 Score Team 2
West Region
Istiklol Flag of Tajikistan.svg 0–1 Flag of Iran.svg Persepolis
Sharjah Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg 1–1 (a.e.t.)
(4–5 p)		 Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg Al-Wahda
Esteghlal Flag of Iran.svg 0–2 Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg Al-Hilal
Al-Nassr Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg 1–0 Flag of Iran.svg Tractor
Team 1 Score Team 2
East Region
Ulsan Hyundai Flag of South Korea.svg 0–0 (a.e.t.)
(3–2 p)		 Flag of Japan.svg Kawasaki Frontale
Nagoya Grampus Flag of Japan.svg 4–2 Flag of South Korea.svg Daegu FC
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors Flag of South Korea.svg 1–1 (a.e.t.)
(4–2 p)		 Flag of Thailand.svg BG Pathum United
Cerezo Osaka Flag of Japan.svg 0–1 Flag of South Korea.svg Pohang Steelers

West Region

Istiklol Flag of Tajikistan.svg 0–1 Flag of Iran.svg Persepolis
Live Report
Stats Report 		Torabi Soccerball shade.svg90'
Pamir Stadium, Dushanbe
Attendance: 17,200
Referee: Hiroyuki Kimura (Japan)
Sharjah Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg 1–1 (a.e.t.) Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg Al-Wahda
Bernard Soccerball shade.svg58' Live Report
Stats Report 		Kharbin Soccerball shade.svg56'
Penalties
4–5
Sharjah Stadium, Sharjah
Attendance: 2,100
Referee: Nawaf Shukralla (Bahrain)
Esteghlal Flag of Iran.svg 0–2 Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg Al-Hilal
Live Report
Stats Report
Zabeel Stadium , Dubai (United Arab Emirates)
Attendance: 0
Referee: Fu Ming (China)
Al-Nassr Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg 1–0 Flag of Iran.svg Tractor
Aboubakar Soccerball shade.svg11' Live Report
Stats Report
Khalifa International Stadium , Al Rayyan (Qatar)
Attendance: 0
Referee: Kim Dae-yong (South Korea)

East Region

Nagoya Grampus Flag of Japan.svg 4–2 Flag of South Korea.svg Daegu FC
Live Report
Stats Report
Toyota Stadium, Toyota
Attendance: 5,442
Referee: Adham Makhadmeh (Jordan)
Cerezo Osaka Flag of Japan.svg 0–1 Flag of South Korea.svg Pohang Steelers
Live Report
Stats Report 		Lee Seung-mo Soccerball shade.svg25'
Yodoko Sakura Stadium, Osaka
Attendance: 3,156
Referee: Abdulrahman Al-Jassim (Qatar)

Quarter-finals

Summary

The quarter-finals were played over one leg, with the matchups and home team decided by draw held on 17 September at 15:00 (UTC+8) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Team 1 Score Team 2
West Region
Al-Wahda Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg 1–5 Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg Al-Nassr
Persepolis Flag of Iran.svg 0–3 Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg Al-Hilal
Team 1 Score Team 2
East Region
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors Flag of South Korea.svg 2–3 (a.e.t.) Flag of South Korea.svg Ulsan Hyundai
Pohang Steelers Flag of South Korea.svg 3–0 Flag of Japan.svg Nagoya Grampus

West Region

Al-Wahda Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg 1–5 Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg Al-Nassr
Matar Soccerball shade.svg90+3' Live Report
Stats Report
Mrsool Park , Riyadh
Attendance: 20,477
Referee: Ma Ning (China)
Persepolis Flag of Iran.svg 0–3 Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg Al-Hilal
Live Report
Stats Report
Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium , Riyadh
Attendance: 14,877
Referee: Ryuji Sato (Japan)

East Region

Pohang Steelers Flag of South Korea.svg 3–0 Flag of Japan.svg Nagoya Grampus
Live Report
Stats Report
Jeonju World Cup Stadium, Jeonju
Attendance: 989
Referee: Alireza Faghani (Iran)

Semi-finals

Summary

The semi-finals were played over one leg.

Team 1 Score Team 2
West Region
Al-Nassr Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg 1–2 Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg Al-Hilal
Team 1 Score Team 2
East Region
Ulsan Hyundai Flag of South Korea.svg 1–1 (a.e.t.)
(4–5 p)		 Flag of South Korea.svg Pohang Steelers

West Region

Al-Nassr Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg 1–2 Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg Al-Hilal
Talisca Soccerball shade.svg50' Live Report
Stats Report
Mrsool Park , Riyadh
Attendance: 23,985
Referee: Chris Beath (Australia)

East Region

Final

The final was played over a single leg on 23 November. The host was determined on a rotational basis, with the match hosted by team from the West Region in odd-numbered years (Regulations 9.1.2). [2]

Al-Hilal Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg 2–0 Flag of South Korea.svg Pohang Steelers
Live Report
Stats Report
King Fahd International Stadium, Riyadh
Attendance: 50,171
Referee: Mohammed Abdulla Hassan Mohamed (United Arab Emirates)

Notes

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    References

    1. 1 2 "AFC Competitions Calendar 2021". the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation. 27 April 2021.
    2. 1 2 3 "2021 AFC Champions League Competition Regulations" (PDF). the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation.
    3. ↑ "ACL 2021 Draw Mechanism". the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation. 26 January 2021 – via YouTube.
    4. ↑ "Latest update on the AFC Club Competitions in 2021 and 2022". the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation.
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