MATCH PRESS KIT Semi-finals 1st leg Contents 1 Match background 6 Coach profiles 2 Semi-final facts 7 Team facts 3 Match facts 8 Domestic results & standings 4 Competition fixtures & standings 9 Competition facts 5 Squad information 10 AFC information This press kit includes information relating to this AFC Champions League match. Match background The top two teams in the K League Classic are set to take their domestic battle onto the continental stage as league leaders Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors face second-placed FC Seoul in the AFC Champions League semi-finals. Jeonbuk have dominated Seoul in the K League this year, winning all three of their matches to date. They are also close to wrapping up a third consecutive championship after opening up a 14-point lead over the capital club with six games left in the season. However, the teams will start with a blank slate for their AFC Champions League showdown which gives Seoul a chance to turn the tables on their rivals and put themselves in a position to win an Asian club title for the first time. Jeonbuk are seeking a second continental crown after winning the tournament in 2006 and finishing runners-up in 2011 and they will go into the semi-final as favourites, given their domestic dominance of Seoul and their good recent form in the AFC Champions League. They suffered surprise 3-2 defeats to Jiangsu FC in China and Becamex Binh Duong in Vietnam during the group stage but a 3-0 win over FC Tokyo in Japan saw them top Group E and advance to the last 16 where they beat Australia s Melbourne Victory 3-2 on aggregate. That set up a quarter-final clash with Chinese upstarts Shanghai SIPG who drew 0-0 with Jeonbuk in the first leg in China and kept the tie scoreless during the first half of the return game in Jeonju before capitulating to a second-half blitz as Leonardo and Lee Dong-gook each scored twice in a 5-0 win for the South Korean side. Meanwhile, FC Seoul topped Group F after an impressive start in which they outscored their opponents by 14 goals to two before a tough round of 16 clash against Urawa Red Diamonds which required a penalty shootout after the teams had drawn 3-3 on aggregate. Seoul eventually prevailed 7-6 on penalties to advance to a quarter-final meeting with Shandong Luneng. They grabbed the upper hand with a 3-1 win in the first leg and while the Chinese club made things interesting in the return game when Walter Montillo narrowed the deficit to a single goal, Yun Ju-tae s strike eight minutes from time sent the 2013 AFC Champions League runners-up into the semi-finals for the third time in four years.
Semi-final facts Two of the four teams in this season s AFC Champions League semi-finals are former champions. Al Ain won the inaugural tournament in 2003 while Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors became the first east Asian side to win the competition in 2006. FC Seoul also reached the final in 2013 after beating Iranian side Esteghlal 4-2 on aggregate in the semi-finals. While the other three teams have previously reached the semi-finals, El Jaish are appearing in the knockout stage for the very first time this year. They are the third Qatari club to reach the last four after Umm Salal (2009) and Al Sadd (2011). South Korean clubs are appearing in the last four of the AFC Champions League for the 11th time in 13 seasons. The only semi-finals not to feature K League clubs since 2004 were in 2008 and last year. Al Ain are playing in the semi-finals for the fourth time after reaching this stage previously in 2003, 2005 and 2014. The only club with more appearances in the last four are Saudi Arabia s Al Ittihad who reached this round five times in 2004, 2005, 2009, 2011 and 2012. Guangzhou Evergrande of China recorded the biggest aggregate victory in the semifinals when they defeated Kashiwa Reysol of Japan 8-1 in 2013. Al Ittihad of Saudi Arabia also won by a seven-goal margin when they beat Korea Republic s Busan I Park 7-0 in 2005. Al Ain scored the biggest win in a semi-final game in 2005 when they thrashed Shenzhen Jianlibao of China 6-0 in the UAE. The highest scoring semi-final took place in 2003 when Al Ain and Dalian Shide netted a total of 13 goals over two legs. Al Ain won the first leg 4-2 in the UAE and lost 4-3 in the return match in China to advance 7-6 on aggregate. The lowest scoring semi-final was Syrian side Al Karama s 1-0 win over Qadsia SC of Kuwait in 2006. The opening game in Homs ended goalless before Aataf Jennyat netted the only goal of the tie in the second leg in Kuwait City. The clash between Urawa Red Diamonds of Japan and Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma of Korea in 2007 is the only semi-final to have gone to penalties. With both legs ending in 2-2 draws, Urawa advanced to the final after winning the shootout in Japan 5-4. Seongnam were the first team to win an AFC Champions League semi-final on away goals when they eliminated Al Shabab of Saudi Arabia in 2010. The Korean team were beaten 4-3 in the first leg in Riyadh but advanced after winning the return match 1-0.
Match facts This is the first AFC Champions League match between Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors and FC Seoul and the fifth All-Korea Republic clash in the tournament. Jeonbuk are taking part in the competition for the 10th time while Seoul are making their sixth appearance. Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors Jeonbuk Motors are playing in the AFC Champions League semi-finals for the fourth time. They lost 4-3 on aggregate to Al Ittihad in 2004 but beat K League rivals Ulsan Hyundai 6-4 in 2006 and avenged their earlier loss to Al Ittihad with a 5-3 win in 2011. In addition to their semi-final win over Ulsan in 2006, they also met South Korean rivals Pohang Steelers in the round of 16 in 2014, losing 3-1 on aggregate. Jeonbuk have won all three of their K League Classic games against FC Seoul this season, winning 1-0 in Jeonju on 12 March before back-to-back victories in the South Korean capital, 3-2 on 20 July and 3-1 on 28 August. They have not lost a home game in the competition since a 2-1 defeat to Pohang in May 2014. In their last 10 ACL games in Jeonju, they have six wins and four draws. The 5-0 win over Shanghai SIPG in the quarter-finals was their biggest victory in the competition since a 6-1 win against Japan s Cerezo Osaka in the 2011 quarter-finals. Leonardo is Jeonbuk s leading scorer in the tournament with six goals after his brace against SIPG. Lee Dong-gook has five after also scoring twice against SIPG. Domestic form An early goal by Ricardo Lopes saw defending champions Jeonbuk edge Seongnam FC 1-0 last Saturday as they remained unbeaten in this season s K League Classic and 14 points clear of second-placed FC Seoul at the top of the table. FC Seoul FC Seoul are appearing in the AFC Champions League semi-finals for the third time in four years. They beat Iranian side Esteghlal 4-2 on aggregate in 2013 but lost 2-0 to Australia s Western Sydney Wanderers the following year. They have met K League opponents once before in the competition, beating Pohang Steelers on penalties in the 2014 quarter-finals after both leg finished goalless. They have not fared well in their recent K League Classic matches against Jeonbuk, with one win, two draws and six losses in their last nine meetings. Since beating Shandong Luneng 4-1 in March, Seoul are winless in their last three away games in the ACL, losing twice and drawing at Shandong in the quarter-finals. Yun Ju-tae s equaliser in the 1-1 draw with Shandong was his first goal in the competition since his brace in a 3-2 loss at Gamba Osaka in last year s round of 16. Brazilian striker Adriano has 12 goals in the tournament and needs only one more to equal the single-season record of 13 set by Guangzhou Evergrande s Muriqui in 2013. Domestic form FC Seoul ended a four-match winless run in the K League Classic with a 1-0 win at Suwon FC on 21 September. They are in second place in the table but trail leaders Jeonbuk by 14 points.
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors Competition fixtures & standings GROUP E GP W D L GF GA +/- Pts JEONBUK HYUNDAI MOTORS (KOR)* 6 3 1 2 13 9 4 10 FC TOKYO (JPN)* 6 3 1 2 8 8 0 10 JIANGSU FC (CHN) 6 2 3 1 10 7 3 9 BECAMEX BINH DUONG (VIE) 6 1 1 4 6 13-7 4 * Standings are based on points, head-to-head, goal difference and number of goals of the teams tied 23 February JEONBUK MOTORS (KOR) 2-1 FC TOKYO (JPN) (JHM: Go Moo-yul 39, Lee Dong-gook 83; FCT: Takuma Abe 87) 01 March JIANGSU FC (CHN) 3-2 JEONBUK MOTORS (KOR) (JFC: Alex Teixeira 16, Jo 65, Wu Xi 69; JHM: Lee Dong-gook 62, Trent Sainsbury 86-og) 15 March JEONBUK MOTORS (KOR) 2-0 BINH DUONG (VIE) (JHM: Ricardo Lopes 41, Lee Dong-gook 90) 06 April BECAMEX BINH DUONG (VIE) 3-2 JEONBUK MOTORS (KOR) (BBD: Nguyen Anh Duc 12-pen, 88-pen, Christian Nsi Amougou 35; JHM: Lee Jong-ho 27, Han Kyo-won 28) 20 April FC TOKYO (JPN) 0-3 JEONBUK MOTORS (KOR) (JHM: Kim Bo-kyung 35, Lee Jae-sung 60, Go Moo-yul 90+1) 04 May JEONBUK MOTORS (KOR) 2-2 JIANGSU FC (CHN) (JHM: Leonardo 19-pen, Lim Jong-eun 69; JFC: Alex Teixeira 24, Jo 54-pen) ROUND OF 16 17 May 1st leg MELBOURNE VICTORY (AUS) 1-1 JEONBUK MOTORS (KOR) (MV: Besart Berisha 5; JHM: Leonardo 14) 24 May 2nd leg JEONBUK MOTORS (KOR) 2-1 MELBOURNE VICTORY (AUS) (JHM: Leonardo 28, 71; MV: Besart Berish 84) Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors advance 3-2 on aggregate QUARTER-FINALS 23 August 1st leg SHANGHAI SIPG (CHN) 0-0 JEONBUK MOTORS (KOR) 13 Sept 2nd leg JEONBUK MOTORS (KOR) 5-0 SHANGHAI SIPG (CHN) (JHM: Leonardo 62, 83-pen, Shi Ke 58-og, Lee Dong-gook 84, 89) Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors advance 5-0 on aggregate
FC Seoul GROUP F GP W D L GF GA +/- Pts FC SEOUL (KOR) 6 4 1 1 17 5 12 13 SHANDONG LUNENG FC (CHN) 6 3 2 1 7 5 2 11 SANFRECCE HIROSHIMA (JPN) 6 3 0 3 9 8 1 9 BURIRAM UNITED (THA) 6 0 1 5 1 16-15 1 23 February BURIRAM UNITED (THA) 0-6 FC SEOUL (KOR) (FCS: Adriano 28, 40, 50, 60, Dejan Damjanovic 67, Lee Seok-hyun 90) 01 March FC SEOUL (KOR) 4-1 SANFRECCE HIROSHIMA (JPN) (FCS: Kim Won-sik 31, Adriano 49, 56, 69; SH: Kazuhiko Chiba 25) 16 March SHANDONG LUNENG (CHN) 1-4 FC SEOUL (KOR) (SL: Jucilei 62; FCS: Adriano 28, 71, Go Yo-han 65, Dejan Damjanovic 68) 05 April FC SEOUL (KOR) 0-0 SHANDONG LUNENG (CHN) 20 April FC SEOUL (KOR) 2-1 BURIRAM UNITED (THA) (FCS: Dejan Damjanovic 24, Park Yong-woo 43; BU: Andres Tunez 67-pen) 04 May SANFRECCE HIROSHIMA (JPN) 2-1 FC SEOUL (KOR) (SH: Takuma Asano 27, Yusuke Minagawa 39; FCS: Adriano 88) ROUND OF 16 18 May 1st leg URAWA RED DIAMONDS (JPN) 1-0 FC SEOUL (KOR) (URD: Tomoya Ugajin 14) 25 May 2nd leg FC SEOUL (KOR) 3-2 aet URAWA RED DIAMONDS (JPN) (FCS: Dejan Damjanovic 29, Adriano 94, Go Yo-han 120+1; URD: Tadanari Lee 112, 115) Aggregate score: 3-3. FC Seoul advance 7-6 on penalties. QUARTER-FINALS 24 August 1st leg FC SEOUL (KOR) 3-1 SHANDONG LUNENG (CHN) (FCS: Dejan Damjanovic 19, Park Chu-young 31, Adriano 69; SL: Walter Montillo 35) 14 Sept 2nd leg SHANDONG LUNENG (CHN) 1-1 FC SEOUL (KOR) (SL: Walter Montillo 59; FCS: Yun Ju-tae 82) FC Seoul advance 4-2 on aggregate
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors Squad information No Pos Player Name DOB Nat Pl Gs YC RC 1 GK KWOUN SUN-TAE 11-09-1984 KOR 10-11 1 2 MF LEE WOO-HYEOK 24-02-1993 KOR 3 DF KIM HYUNG-IL 27-04-1984 KOR 5 2 1 5 MF LEE HO 22-10-1984 KOR 1 6 DF CHOI JAE-SOO 02-05-1983 KOR 5 7 MF HAN KYO-WON 15-06-1990 KOR 4 (1) 1 2 9 FW LEE JONG-HO 24-02-1992 KOR 3 (2) 1 10 MF LEONARDO 22-09-1986 BRA 7 (3) 6 11 FW RICARDO LOPES 28-10-1990 BRA 5 (3) 1 2 13 MF KIM BO-KYUNG 06-10-1989 KOR 7 1 2 15 DF LIM JONG-EUN 18-06-1990 KOR 7 (1) 1 16 DF CHO SUNG-HWAN 09-04-1982 KOR 2 1 17 MF LEE JAE-SUNG 10-08-1992 KOR 9 1 1 18 FW GO MOO-YUL 05-09-1990 KOR 3 (3) 2 19 DF PARK WON-JAE 28-05-1984 KOR 4 20 FW LEE DONG-GOOK 29-04-1979 KOR 7 (2) 5 21 GK HONG JUNG-NAM 21-05-1988 KOR 22 MF SEO SANG-MIN 25-07-1986 KOR (2) 1 23 DF CHOI KYU-BAEK 23-01-1994 KOR 6 25 DF CHOI CHUL-SOON 08-02-1987 KOR 7 1 26 DF CHOI DONG-KEUN 04-01-1995 KOR 27 DF KIM CHANG-SOO 12-09-1985 KOR 4 1 1 30 DF KIM YOUNG-CHAN 04-09-1993 KOR (2) 32 MF LEE JU-YONG 26-09-1992 KOR 1 33 DF LEE HAN-DO 16-03-1994 KOR 34 FW JANG YUN-HO 25-08-1996 KOR 5 1 37 MF CHOI JEONG-WOO 21-03-1994 KOR 41 GK HWANG BYEONG-GUEN 14-06-1994 KOR 81 FW EDU 30-11-1981 BRA (1) 99 FW KIM SHIN-WOOK 14-04-1988 KOR 3 (5) 1 KEY: No: Pos: Pl: Gs: YC: RC: Squad Number Position Matches Started (substitute appearances in brackets) Goals scored (when Goalkeeper refers to goals conceded) Yellow Cards Red Cards
FC Seoul No Pos Player Name DOB Nat Pl Gs YC RC 1 GK YOO HYUN 01-08-1984 KOR 5-4 2 MF YOJIRO TAKAHAGI 02-08-1986 JPN 9 1 3 DF JUNG IN-WHAN 15-12-1986 KOR (1) 4 DF KIM DONG-WOO 05-02-1988 KOR 7 1 5 DF OSMAR BARBA 05-06-1988 ESP 9 6 MF JU SE-JONG 30-10-1990 KOR 6 (1) 2 7 DF KIM CHI-WOO 11-11-1983 KOR 2 (1) 9 FW DEJAN DAMJANOVIC 27-07-1981 MNE 9 5 10 FW PARK CHU-YOUNG 10-07-1985 KOR 2 (5) 1 11 FW ADRIANO 28-09-1987 BRA 8 (1) 12 13 MF GO YO-HAN 10-03-1988 KOR 8 (1) 2 14 MF CHO CHAN-HO 10-04-1986 KOR 1 15 MF KIM WON-SIK 05-11-1991 KOR 7 1 3 16 FW SHIM JE-HYEOK 05-03-1995 KOR 1 1 17 MF YUN IL-LOK 07-03-1992 KOR 4 18 DF GEUM KYO-JIN 03-01-1992 KOR 19 FW YUN JU-TAE 22-06-1990 KOR (5) 1 20 DF KIM WONG-UN 01-05-1992 KOR 22 MF PARK YONG-WOO 10-09-1993 KOR 1 (4) 1 23 DF SIM WOO-YEON 03-04-1985 KOR 1 (2) 25 MF LEE SEOK-HYUN 13-06-1990 KOR 4 (1) 1 26 DF KIM NAM-CHUN 19-04-1989 KOR 2 27 MF KO KWANG-MIN 21-09-1988 KOR 9 29 MF LEE SANG-HYEOB 01-01-1990 KOR 1 31 GK YU SANG-HUN 25-05-1989 KOR 5-6 34 FW KIM JEONG-HWAN 04-01-1997 KOR 1 (1) 35 MF LIM MIN-HYEOK 05-03-1997 KOR 38 GK YANG HAN-BEEN 30-08-1991 KOR 55 DF KWAK TAE-HWI 08-07-1981 KOR 2 88 DF LEE KYU-RO 20-08-1988 KOR 1 KEY: No: Pos: Pl: Gs: YC: RC: Squad Number Position Matches Started (substitute appearances in brackets) Goals scored (when Goalkeeper refers to goals conceded) Yellow Cards Red Cards
Team coach profiles Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors Choi Kang-hee Since he was first appointed as head coach of Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in 2005, former Korea Republic international defender Choi Kang-hee has enjoyed a glittering career with the club, winning the Korean FA Cup in his first season, the AFC Champions League in 2006 and four K League Classic championships. The 57-year-old became head coach of Korea Republic in late 2011 and guided the Taeguk Warriors to qualification for the 2014 FIFA World Cup finals before he returned to his former position at Jeonbuk in 2013. FC Seoul Hwang Sun-hong Former Korea Republic international forward Hwang Sun-hong took charge of FC Seoul in June following the departure of former manager Choi Yong-soo for Chinese side Jiangsu FC. A key player in the Korea Republic side that reached the World Cup semi-finals in 2002, Hwang coached K League sides Chunnam Dragons and Busan I Park before taking charge of Pohang Steelers in 2011. The 48-year-old led Pohang to victory in Korean FA Cup the following year, the Korean domestic double in 2013 and the AFC Champions League quarter-finals in 2014 before leaving the club at the end of the 2015 season.
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors Team facts Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors qualified for the AFC Champions League for the seventh consecutive year after they successfully defended their K League Classic title in 2015, finishing six points ahead of runners-up Suwon Samsung Bluewings. Jeonbuk became the first Korea Republic team to win the AFC Champions League when they beat Al Karamah of Syria 2-1 on aggregate in the 2006 final. They also finished runners-up in 2011 after losing a penalty shootout to Al Sadd of Qatar and went out in the quarter-finals last year after a dramatic 3-2 aggregate loss to Japan s Gamba Osaka. AFC Champions League record 2015 Quarter-finals 2014 Round of 16 2013 Round of 16 2012 Group stage 2011 Runners-up 2010 Quarter-finals 2007 Quarter-finals 2006 Champions 2004 Semi-finals Overall AFC Champions League record (including playoff games) P W D L GF GA Overall 87 44 16 27 171 107 Home 44 25 9 10 94 46 Away 43 19 7 17 77 61 Biggest wins Home: 8-0 vs Persipura Jayapura, 2010, group stage Away: 4-0 vs BEC Tero Sasana, 2004, group stage vs Arema Indonesia, 2011, group stage Heaviest defeats Home: 1-5 vs Guangzhou Evergrande, 2012, group stage Away: 1-5 vs Kashiwa Reysol, 2012, group stage
FC Seoul FC Seoul went close to winning the AFC Champions League in 2013 when they were beaten on away goals by Guangzhou Evergrande of China in the final. They also reached the semifinals in 2014 but bowed out in the round of 16 last year after going down 6-3 on aggregate to Japan s Gamba Osaka. They finished fourth in the K League Classic in 2015 but secured their spot in the AFC Champions League for the fourth season in a row after they lifted the Korean FA Cup with a 3-1 victory over Incheon United in the final. AFC Champions League record 2015 Round of 16 2014 Semi-finals 2013 Runners-up 2011 Quarter-finals 2009 Quarter-finals Overall AFC Champions League record (including playoff games) P W D L GF GA Overall 62 27 22 13 108 67 Home 32 18 10 4 64 29 Away 30 9 12 9 44 38 Biggest wins Home: 7-0 vs Hanoi T&T, 2015, playoffs 5-1 vs Sriwijaya, 2009, group stage vs Jiangsu Sainty, 2013 group stage Away: 6-0 vs Buriram United, 2016, group stage Heaviest defeats Home: 2-4 vs Gamba Osaka, 2009, group stage 1-3 vs Gamba Osaka, 2015, round of 16 0-2 vs Nagoya Grampus, 2009, group stage Away: 1-3 vs Al Ittihad, 2011, quarter-finals 0-2 vs Shandong Luneng, 2009, group stage vs Western Sydney Wanderers, 2014, semi-finals
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors Domestic results & standings Most recent games Comp. Date Opponent Res. League 28/08/16 FC Seoul (A) 3-1 League 10/09/16 Jeonnam Dragons (H) 2-2 League 18/09/16 Suwon Samsung (H) 1-1 League 21/09/16 Jeju United (A) 2-2 League 24/09/16 Seongnam FC (H) 1-0 FC Seoul Most recent games Comp. Date Opponent Res. League 28/08/16 Jeonbuk Motors (H) 1-3 League 03/09/16 Ulsan Hyundai (H) 2-2 League 10/09/16 Incheon United (A) 0-1 League 18/09/16 Jeju United (H) 0-0 League 21/09/16 Suwon FC (A) 1-0 K League Classic current standings (top five) Pos. Club Pld W D L GF GA Pts 1 Jeonbuk Motors 32 18 14 0 58 34 68 2 FC Seoul 32 16 6 10 56 42 54 3 Ulsan Hyundai 32 13 9 10 36 40 48 4 Jeju United 32 13 7 12 58 50 46 5 Jeonnam Dragons 32 11 10 11 38 38 43
Competition facts AFC Champions League Roll of Honour Year Winners Runners-up Score 2015 Guangzhou Evergrande (CHN) Al Ahli (UAE) 1-0 (agg) 2014 Western Sydney Wanderers (AUS) Al Hilal (KSA) 1-0 2013 Guangzhou Evergrande (CHN) FC Seoul (KOR) 3-3 (agg)* 2012 Ulsan Hyundai (KOR) Al Ahli (KSA) 3-0 2011 Al Sadd (QAT) Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (KOR) 2-2 ** 2010 Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma (KOR) Zobahan (IRN) 3-1 2009 Pohang Steelers (KOR) Al Ittihad (KSA) 2-1 2008 Gamba Osaka (JPN) Adelaide United (AUS) 5-0 (agg) 2007 Urawa Red Diamonds (JPN) Sepahan (IRN) 3-1 (agg) 2006 Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (KOR) Al Karama (SYR) 3-2 (agg) 2005 Al Ittihad (KSA) Al Ain (UAE) 5-3 (agg) 2004 Al Ittihad (KSA) Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma (KOR) 6-3 (agg) 2002-03 Al Ain (UAE) BEC Tero Sasana (THA) 2-1 (agg) * Guangzhou Evergrande won on away goals ** Al Sadd won 4-2 on penalties In 2002, the Asian Club Championship was merged with the Asian Cup Winners Cup to form the AFC Champions League. The inaugural final was won by Al Ain of the United Arab Emirates, who beat Thailand s BEC Tero Sasana 2-1 on aggregate. Al Ittihad of Saudi Arabia were the first team to win the AFC Champions League twice. They were victorious in 2004 after beating Korean side Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma 6-3 on aggregate and retained the trophy with a 5-3 aggregate victory over Al Ain a year later. Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors of Korea Republic became the first east Asian side to win the competition in 2006 after they beat Al Karamah of Syria 3-2 on aggregate in the final. Urawa Red Diamonds of Japan took the title the following year when they beat Iranian side Sepahan 3-1 on aggregate in the final. The J.League side did not lose a game during their run to their title, winning five matches and drawing the other seven. Gamba Osaka were also unbeaten when they claimed the AFC Champions League title in 2008. The Japanese club won nine of their 12 games, including all six of their away matches, and thumped Adelaide United of Australia 5-0 on aggregate in the final. Korea Republic s Pohang Steelers became the first team to win both the Asian Club Championship and AFC Champions League with a 2-1 victory over Al Ittihad in the 2009 final in Tokyo. Having won back-to-back Asian Club Championships in 1997 and 1998, they also became the first club to be crowned Asian champions on three occasions. Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma became the second team to win both titles when they beat Zobahan of Iran 3-1 in Tokyo in 2010. The Korean club won the 1995 Asian Club Championship when the club was known as Ilhwa Chunma.
The 2011 AFC Champions League final was the first to go to extra-time and penalties as Qatar s Al Sadd beat Jeonbuk Motors in a shootout after a 2-2 draw in Jeonju. Ulsan Hyundai became the third Korean club in four years to lift the AFC Champions League trophy with a 3-0 win over Al Ahli of Saudi Arabia in 2012. In winning the championship, they set a new tournament record with nine consecutive victories. The final reverted to two legs in 2013 with Guangzhou Evergrande becoming the first Chinese club to lift the trophy after they edged FC Seoul on away goals following a 2-2 draw in Korea and a 1-1 draw in China. Western Sydney Wanderers became the first Australian club to win the tournament in 2014 with a 1-0 aggregate victory over Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia in the final. The 0-0 draw in the second leg in Riyadh was the first match in the final to end goalless. Guangzhou Evergrande became the second club to win the competition twice after they beat Al Ahli of the United Arab Emirates 1-0 on aggregate in the 2015 final. Asian Football Confederation information The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is the governing body of football in Asia, including Australia with a total of 47 members. The organisation was founded on 8 May 1954 in Manila and is one of FIFA s six continental confederations. The headquarters is at AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and the President is Shaikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa of Bahrain. The AFC organised the first continental championship the Asian Cup in 1956, and introduced the first continental club competition the Asian Club Championship in 1967. In 1990, they introduced the Asian Cup Winners Cup, and in 1995, the winners of the Asian Club Championship and Asian Cup Winners Cup began to meet annually in the Asian Super Cup. In 2002, all three club competitions were merged into the AFC Champions League, which featured domestic league and cup winners from throughout Asia. More than 40 teams took part in the inaugural tournament but the format was streamlined in 2004 to include the defending champions and 28 other teams from 14 countries. The competition was revamped in 2009 as the group stage was expanded to 32 teams, a round of 16 was added and the final became a single championship game. However, the format was tweaked again in 2013 with the final reverting to two legs.