2015 AFC Champions League

34th edition of premier club football tournament organized by the AFC

2015 AFC Champions LeagueTournament details

Dates| 4 February – 21 November 2015
Teams| 49 (from 21 associations)
Final positions
Champions|  Guangzhou Evergrande (2nd title)
Runners-up|  Al-Ahli
Tournament statistics
Matches played| 126
Goals scored| 334 (2.65 per match)
Attendance| 2,123,583 (16,854 per match)
Top scorer(s)|  Ricardo Goulart (8 goals)
Best player(s)|  Ricardo Goulart

<- 2014

2016 ->

International football competition

The 2015 AFC Champions League was the 34th edition of Asia's premier club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the 13th under the current AFC Champions League title.

Guangzhou Evergrande won the tournament after defeating Al-Ahli in the final. Guangzhou also qualified for the 2015 FIFA Club World Cup.[1]

Western Sydney Wanderers were the defending champions, but they were eliminated in the group stage.

## Association team allocation

[edit]

The AFC Competitions Committee proposed a revamp of the AFC club competitions on 25 January 2014,[2] which was ratified by the AFC Executive Committee on 16 April 2014.[3] The member associations are ranked based on their national team's and clubs' performance over the last four years in AFC competitions, with the allocation of slots for the 2015 and 2016 editions of the AFC club competitions determined by the 2014 rankings:[4]

* The top 24 member associations (MAs) as per the AFC rankings are eligible to receive direct slots in the AFC Champions League, as long as they fulfill the AFC Champions League criteria.
* In both the East and West zones, there are a total of 12 direct slots in the group stage, with the 4 remaining slots filled through play-offs.
* The top six MAs in both the East and West zones get direct slots in the group stage, while the remaining MAs get play-off slots:
* The first- and second-ranked MAs each get three direct slots and one play-off slot.
* The third- and fourth-ranked MAs each get two direct slots and two play-off slots.
* The fifth-ranked MAs each get one direct slot and two play-off slots.
* The sixth-ranked MAs each get one direct slot and one play-off slot.
* The seventh- to twelfth-ranked MAs each get one play-off slot.
* The maximum number of slots for each MA is one-third of the total number of clubs in the top division (e.g., Australia can only get a maximum of three total slots as there are only nine Australia-based clubs in the A-League).

The AFC Competitions Committee finalised the slot allocation for the 2015 and 2016 editions of the AFC Champions League based on the criteria, including AFC's MA rankings and the implementation of club licensing regulations, on 28 November 2014.[5][6][7]

Participation for 2015 AFC Champions League[6]

| Fulfills participation criteria
| Does not fulfill participation criteria

West Zone  | Rank  | Member
Association  | Points[4] | Slots

|
|
|

Group
stage  | Play-off
Zone  | All  | Play-off
round | Prelim.
round 2
1 | 2 |  Saudi Arabia | 88.268 | 3 | 1 | 0
2 | 3 |  Iran | 80.794 | 3 | 1 | 0
3 | 5 |  Uzbekistan | 62.272 | 3 | 1 | 0
4 | 7 |  United Arab Emirates | 57.792 | 2 | 2 | 0
5 | 9 |  Qatar | 56.103 | 1 | 0 | 2
6 | 10 |  Iraq[A] | 47.106 | 0 | 0 | 0
7 | 11 |  Kuwait | 45.423 | 0 | 0 | 1
8 | 12 |  Jordan | 44.309 | 0 | 0 | 1
9 | 14 |  Oman | 30.586 | 0 | 0 | 1
10 | 16 |  Bahrain | 25.547 | 0 | 0 | 1
11 | 17 |  Lebanon[A] | 25.043 | 0 | 0 | 0
12 | 19 |  Syria[A] | 22.883 | 0 | 0 | 0
Total  | 12 | 5 | 6

East Zone  | Rank  | Member
Association  | Points[4] | Slots

|
|
|

Group
stage  | Play-off
Zone  | All  | Play-off
round | Prelim.
round 2 | Prelim.
round 1
1 | 1 |  South Korea | 94.866 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0
2 | 4 |  Japan | 77.107 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0
3 | 6 |  Australia | 57.940 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0
4 | 8 |  China | 57.660 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0
5 | 13 |  Thailand | 33.049 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0
6 | 15 |  Vietnam | 27.753 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0
7 | 18 |  Indonesia | 25.004 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0
8 | 20 |  Hong Kong | 20.077 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0
9 | 21 |  Myanmar | 18.949 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1
10 | 22 |  Malaysia | 18.153 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1
11 | 23 |  India | 16.756 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1
12 | 24 |  Singapore | 16.097 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1
Total  | 12 | 4 | 6 | 4

Notes

1. ^ a b c

Iraq (2 play-off slots), Lebanon and Syria (1 play-off slot each) were allocated slots for the 2015 and 2016 AFC Champions League, but were not allowed to participate in the 2015 AFC Champions League as none of their teams passed the club licensing requirements for 2015.

## Teams

[edit]

The following 49 teams from 21 associations entered the competition.[8]

In the following table, the number of appearances and last appearance count only those since the 2002–03 season (including qualifying rounds), when the competition was rebranded as the AFC Champions League. TH means title holders.

West Zone  | Team  | Qualifying method  | App  | Last App

|
|
|

Group stage direct entrants (Groups A–D)
Al-Nassr | 2013–14 Saudi Professional League champions  | 2nd  | 2011
Al-Shabab | 2014 King Cup of Champions winners  | 9th  | 2014
Al-Hilal | 2013–14 Saudi Professional League runners-up  | 11th  | 2014
Foolad | 2013–14 Iran Pro League champions  | 3rd  | 2014
Tractor | 2013–14 Hazfi Cup winners  | 3rd  | 2014
Persepolis | 2013–14 Iran Pro League runners-up  | 5th  | 2012
Pakhtakor | 2014 Uzbek League champions  | 12th  | 2013
Lokomotiv Tashkent | 2014 Uzbekistan Cup winners
2014 Uzbek League runners-up  | 3rd  | 2014
Nasaf Qarshi | 2014 Uzbek League 3rd place  | 3rd  | 2014
Al-Ahli | 2013–14 Arabian Gulf League champions  | 6th  | 2014
Al-Ain | 2013–14 UAE President's Cup winners  | 10th  | 2014
Lekhwiya | 2013–14 Qatar Stars League champions  | 4th  | 2014
Qualifying play-off participants
Entering in play-off round
Al-Ahli | 2013–14 Saudi Professional League 3rd place  | 7th  | 2013
Naft Tehran | 2013–14 Iran Pro League 3rd place  | 1st  | none
Bunyodkor | 2014 Uzbek League 4th place  | 8th  | 2014
Al-Wahda | 2013–14 Arabian Gulf League runners-up  | 7th  | 2011
Al-Jazira | 2013–14 Arabian Gulf League 3rd place  | 7th  | 2014
Entering in preliminary round 2
Al-Sadd | 2014 Emir of Qatar Cup winners  | 10th  | 2014
El Jaish | 2013–14 Qatar Stars League runners-up  | 3rd  | 2014
Al-Qadsia | 2013–14 Kuwaiti Premier League champions  | 5th  | 2014
Al-Wehdat | 2013–14 Jordan League champions  | 2nd  | 2002–03
Al-Nahda | 2013–14 Oman Professional League champions  | 1st  | none
Riffa | 2013–14 Bahrain First Division League champions  | 3rd  | 2004
East Zone  | Team  | Qualifying method  | App  | Last App

|
|
|

Group stage direct entrants (Groups E–H)
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 2014 K League Classic champions  | 9th  | 2014
Seongnam FC | 2014 Korean FA Cup winners  | 6th  | 2012
Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 2014 K League Classic runners-up  | 6th  | 2013
Gamba Osaka | 2014 J.League Division 1 champions and 2014 Emperor's Cup winners  | 7th  | 2012
Urawa Red Diamonds | 2014 J.League Division 1 runners-up  | 4th  | 2013
Kashima Antlers | 2014 J.League Division 1 3rd place  | 6th  | 2011
Brisbane Roar | 2013–14 A-League and 2014 A-League Grand Final winners  | 3rd  | 2013
Western Sydney WanderersTH | 2013–14 A-League regular season runners-up  | 2nd  | 2014
Guangzhou Evergrande | 2014 Chinese Super League champions  | 4th  | 2014
Shandong Luneng Taishan | 2014 Chinese FA Cup winners  | 7th  | 2014
Buriram United | 2014 Thai Premier League champions  | 5th  | 2014
Becamex Bình Dương | 2014 V.League 1 champions  | 2nd  | 2008
Qualifying play-off participants
Entering in play-off round
FC Seoul | 2014 K League Classic 3rd place  | 5th  | 2014
Kashiwa Reysol | 2014 J.League Division 1 4th place  | 3rd  | 2013
Central Coast Mariners | 2013–14 A-League regular season 3rd place  | 5th  | 2014
Beijing Guoan | 2014 Chinese Super League runners-up  | 7th  | 2014
Entering in preliminary round 2
Guangzhou R&F | 2014 Chinese Super League 3rd place  | 1st  | none
Bangkok Glass | 2014 Thai FA Cup winners  | 1st  | none
Chonburi | 2014 Thai Premier League runners-up  | 4th  | 2014
Hà Nội T&T | 2014 V.League 1 runners-up[Note VIE] | 2nd  | 2014
Persib Bandung | 2014 Indonesia Super League champions  | 1st  | none
Kitchee | 2013–14 Hong Kong First Division League champions  | 1st  | none
Entering in preliminary round 1
Yadanarbon | 2014 Myanmar National League champions  | 1st  | none
Johor Darul Ta'zim | 2014 Malaysia Super League champions  | 1st  | none
Bengaluru FC | 2013–14 I-League champions  | 1st  | none
Warriors | 2014 S.League champions  | 3rd  | 2010

Notes

1. ^

Vietnam (VIE): Hà Nội T&T entered the AFC Champions League instead of Hải Phòng, the 2014 Vietnamese Cup winners, as Hải Phòng did not pass the club licensing requirements.[9]

Al-Nassr
Al-Shabab
Al-Hilal

Al-Ahli (p)

Foolad

Tractor

Persepolis
Naft Tehran (p)

Pakhtakor
Lokomotiv
Bunyodkor (p)

Nasaf

Al-Ahli

Al-Ain

Al-Wahda (p)
Al-Jazira (p)

Qatar

Teams from Qatar:
Lekhwiya
Al-Sadd (p)
El Jaish (p)

Al-Qadsia (p)

Al-Wehdat (p)

Al-Nahda (p)

Riffa (p)

Jeonbuk HM

Seongnam FC

Suwon SB

FC Seoul (p)

G Osaka

Urawa RD

Kashima A

Kashiwa R (p)

Brisbane R

WS Wanderers

Central Coast M (p)

Guangzhou E
Guangzhou R&F (p)

Shandong LT

Beijing G (p)

Buriram U

Bangkok G (p)

Chonburi (p)

B Bình Dương

Hà Nội T&T (p)

Persib Bandung (p)

Kitchee (p)

Yadanarbon (p)

Johor DT (p)

Bengaluru FC (p)

Warriors (p)

class=notpageimage|

Location of teams of the 2015 AFC Champions League.
West Zone
East Zone
(p) Qualifying play-off participants

## Schedule

[edit]

The schedule of the competition was as follows (all draws were held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia).[10]

Stage  | Round  | Draw date  | First leg  | Second leg

|
|
|
|

Preliminary stage  | Preliminary round 1  | No draw  | 4 February 2015
Preliminary round 2  | 10 February 2015
Play-off stage  | Play-off round  | 17 February 2015
Group stage  | Matchday 1  | 11 December 2014[11] | 24–25 February 2015
Matchday 2  | 3–4 March 2015
Matchday 3  | 17–18 March 2015
Matchday 4  | 7–8 April 2015
Matchday 5  | 21–22 April 2015
Matchday 6  | 5–6 May 2015
Knockout stage  | Round of 16  | 19–20 May 2015  | 26–27 May 2015
Quarter-finals  | 18 June 2015[12] | 25–26 August 2015  | 15–16 September 2015
Semi-finals  | 29–30 September 2015  | 20–21 October 2015
Final  | 7 November 2015  | 21 November 2015

## Qualifying play-off

[edit]

Main article: 2015 AFC Champions League qualifying play-off

The bracket for the qualifying play-off, which consisted of three rounds (preliminary round 1, preliminary round 2, and play-off round), was determined by the AFC based on the association ranking of each team.[13] Each tie was played as a single match, with the team from the higher-ranked association hosting the match. Extra time and penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winner if necessary. The winners of each tie in the play-off round advanced to the group stage to join the 24 automatic qualifiers. All losers in each round which were from associations with only play-off slots entered the 2015 AFC Cup group stage.[1]

### Preliminary round 1

[edit]

Team 1  |  Score | Team 2

|
|

East Zone  Yadanarbon | 1–1 (a.e.t.)
(5–6 p)  |  Warriors
Johor Darul Ta'zim | 2–1 (a.e.t.)  |  Bengaluru FC

### Preliminary round 2

[edit]

Team 1  |  Score | Team 2

|
|

West Zone  Al-Qadsia | 1–0 |  Al-Wehdat
El Jaish | 2–1 |  Al-Nahda
Al-Sadd | 0–0 (a.e.t.)
(11–10 p)  |  Riffa
Team 1  |  Score | Team 2

|
|

East Zone  Hà Nội T&T | 4–0 |  Persib Bandung
Chonburi | 4–1 |  Kitchee
Guangzhou R&F | 3–0 |  Warriors
Bangkok Glass | 3–0 |  Johor Darul Ta'zim

### Play-off round

[edit]

Team 1  |  Score | Team 2

|
|

West Zone  Al-Ahli | 2–1 (a.e.t.)  |  Al-Qadsia
Naft Tehran | 1–0 |  El Jaish
Bunyodkor | 2–1 |  Al-Jazira
Al-Wahda | 4–4 (a.e.t.)
(4–5 p)  |  Al-Sadd
Team 1  |  Score | Team 2

|
|

East Zone  FC Seoul | 7–0 |  Hà Nội T&T
Kashiwa Reysol | 3–2 (a.e.t.)  |  Chonburi
Central Coast Mariners | 1–3 |  Guangzhou R&F
Beijing Guoan | 3–0 |  Bangkok Glass

## Group stage

[edit]

Main article: 2015 AFC Champions League group stage

The draw for the group stage was held on 11 December 2014.[13] The 32 teams were drawn into eight groups of four. Teams from the same association could not be drawn into the same group. Each group was played on a home-and-away round-robin basis. The winners and runners-up of each group advanced to the round of 16.

Tiebreakers

The teams are ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If tied on points, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:[1]

1. Greater number of points obtained in the group matches between the teams concerned;
2. Goal difference resulting from the group matches between the teams concerned;
3. Greater number of goals scored in the group matches between the teams concerned;
4. Greater number of away goals scored in the group matches between the teams concerned;
5. If, after applying criteria 1 to 4, teams still have an equal ranking, criteria 1 to 4 are reapplied exclusively to the matches between the teams in question to determine their final rankings. If this procedure does not lead to a decision, criteria 6 to 10 apply;
6. Goal difference in all the group matches;
7. Greater number of goals scored in all the group matches;
8. Penalty shoot-out if only two teams are involved and they are both on the field of play;
9. Fewer score calculated according to the number of yellow and red cards received in the group matches (1 point for a single yellow card, 3 points for a red card as a consequence of two yellow cards, 3 points for a direct red card, 4 points for a yellow card followed by a direct red card);
10. Team who belongs to the member association with the higher AFC ranking.

### Group A

[edit]

Pos | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification  |  |  LEK |  PER |  NSR |  BYD

|
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1  |  Lekhwiya | 6  | 4  | 1  | 1  | 9  | 5  | +4  | 13  | Advance to knockout stage |  | -- | 3–0 | 1–1 | 1–0
2  |  Persepolis | 6  | 4  | 0  | 2  | 7  | 7  | 0  | 12  |  | 3–0 | -- | 1–0 | 2–1
3  |  Al-Nassr | 6  | 2  | 2  | 2  | 7  | 6  | +1  | 8  |  |  | 1–3 | 3–0 | -- | 1–1
4  |  Bunyodkor | 6  | 0  | 1  | 5  | 2  | 7  | −5  | 1  |  | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | --

Source: AFC

### Group B

[edit]

Pos | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification  |  |  AIN |  NAF |  PAK |  SHB

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1  |  Al-Ain | 6  | 3  | 3  | 0  | 7  | 2  | +5  | 12  | Advance to knockout stage |  | -- | 3–0 | 1–1 | 0–0
2  |  Naft Tehran | 6  | 2  | 2  | 2  | 8  | 8  | 0  | 8  |  | 1–1 | -- | 1–1 | 2–1
3  |  Pakhtakor | 6  | 1  | 3  | 2  | 6  | 8  | −2  | 6  |  |  | 0–1 | 2–1 | -- | 0–2
4  |  Al-Shabab | 6  | 1  | 2  | 3  | 5  | 8  | −3  | 5  |  | 0–1 | 0–3 | 2–2 | --

Source: AFC

### Group C

[edit]

Pos | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification  |  |  HIL |  SAD |  FOO |  LOK

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1  |  Al-Hilal | 6  | 4  | 1  | 1  | 9  | 4  | +5  | 13  | Advance to knockout stage |  | -- | 2–1 | 2–0 | 3–1
2  |  Al-Sadd | 6  | 3  | 1  | 2  | 9  | 9  | 0  | 10  |  | 1–0 | -- | 1–0 | 6–2
3  |  Foolad | 6  | 1  | 3  | 2  | 2  | 4  | −2  | 6  |  |  | 0–0 | 0–0 | -- | 1–0
4  |  Lokomotiv Tashkent | 6  | 1  | 1  | 4  | 10  | 13  | −3  | 4  |  | 1–2 | 5–0 | 1–1 | --

Source: AFC

### Group D

[edit]

Pos | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification  |  |  AHS |  AHU |  NSF |  TRA

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1  |  Al-Ahli | 6  | 3  | 3  | 0  | 11  | 7  | +4  | 12  | Advance to knockout stage |  | -- | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2–0
2  |  Al-Ahli | 6  | 2  | 2  | 2  | 8  | 8  | 0  | 8  |  | 3–3 | -- | 0–0 | 3–2
3  |  Nasaf Qarshi | 6  | 2  | 2  | 2  | 5  | 5  | 0  | 8  |  |  | 0–0 | 0–1 | -- | 2–1
4  |  Tractor Sazi | 6  | 1  | 1  | 4  | 7  | 11  | −4  | 4  |  | 2–2 | 1–0 | 1–2 | --

Source: AFC

### Group E

[edit]

Pos | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification  |  |  KSW |  JHM |  SLT |  BBD

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1  |  Kashiwa Reysol | 6  | 3  | 2  | 1  | 14  | 9  | +5  | 11  | Advance to knockout stage |  | -- | 3–2 | 2–1 | 5–1
2  |  Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 6  | 3  | 2  | 1  | 14  | 6  | +8  | 11  |  | 0–0 | -- | 4–1 | 3–0
3  |  Shandong Luneng Taishan | 6  | 2  | 1  | 3  | 13  | 17  | −4  | 7  |  |  | 4–4 | 1–4 | -- | 3–1
4  |  Becamex Bình Dương | 6  | 1  | 1  | 4  | 6  | 15  | −9  | 4  |  | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–3 | --

Source: AFC

### Group F

[edit]

Pos | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification  |  |  GAM |  SNM |  BUR |  GRF

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1  |  Gamba Osaka | 6  | 3  | 1  | 2  | 10  | 7  | +3  | 10  | Advance to knockout stage |  | -- | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–2
2  |  Seongnam FC | 6  | 3  | 1  | 2  | 7  | 5  | +2  | 10  |  | 2–0 | -- | 2–1 | 0–0
3  |  Buriram United | 6  | 3  | 1  | 2  | 12  | 7  | +5  | 10  |  |  | 1–2 | 2–1 | -- | 5–0
4  |  Guangzhou R&F | 6  | 1  | 1  | 4  | 3  | 13  | −10  | 4  |  | 0–5 | 0–1 | 1–2 | --

Source: AFC

### Group G

[edit]

Pos | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification  |  |  BJG |  SSB |  BRI |  URA

|
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1  |  Beijing Guoan | 6  | 3  | 2  | 1  | 6  | 3  | +3  | 11  | Advance to knockout stage |  | -- | 1–0 | 0–1 | 2–0
2  |  Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 6  | 3  | 2  | 1  | 11  | 8  | +3  | 11  |  | 1–1 | -- | 3–1 | 2–1
3  |  Brisbane Roar | 6  | 2  | 1  | 3  | 7  | 9  | −2  | 7  |  |  | 0–1 | 3–3 | -- | 1–2
4  |  Urawa Red Diamonds | 6  | 1  | 1  | 4  | 5  | 9  | −4  | 4  |  | 1–1 | 1–2 | 0–1 | --

Source: AFC

### Group H

[edit]

Pos | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification  |  |  GET |  SEO |  WSW |  KSM

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1  |  Guangzhou Evergrande | 6  | 3  | 1  | 2  | 9  | 9  | 0  | 10  | Advance to knockout stage |  | -- | 1–0 | 0–2 | 4–3
2  |  FC Seoul | 6  | 2  | 3  | 1  | 5  | 4  | +1  | 9  |  | 0–0 | -- | 0–0 | 1–0
3  |  Western Sydney Wanderers | 6  | 2  | 2  | 2  | 9  | 7  | +2  | 8  |  |  | 2–3 | 1–1 | -- | 1–2
4  |  Kashima Antlers | 6  | 2  | 0  | 4  | 10  | 13  | −3  | 6  |  | 2–1 | 2–3 | 1–3 | --

Source: AFC

## Knockout stage

[edit]

Main article: 2015 AFC Champions League knockout stage

In the knockout stage, the 16 teams played a single-elimination tournament, with the teams split between the two zones 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.[1]

### Bracket

[edit]

| Round of 16 | | | Quarter-finals | | | Semi-finals | | | Final |

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|  |  |  |  | | |  |  |  |  | | |  |  |  |  | | |  |  |  |  |
|  Persepolis | 1 | 0 | 1 | | | |
|  Al-Hilal | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| |  Al-Hilal | 4 | 2 | 6 |
|  |
| | |  Lekhwiya | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|  Al-Sadd | 1 | 2 | 3 |

|  Lekhwiya | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| |  Al-Hilal | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|  |
| | |  Al-Ahli | 1 | 3 | 4 |
|  Naft Tehran (a) | 1 | 1 | 2 | |

|  Al-Ahli | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| |  Naft Tehran | 0 | 1 | 1 |
|  |
| | |  Al-Ahli | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|  Al-Ahli (a) | 0 | 3 | 3 |

|  Al-Ain | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| |  Al-Ahli | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|  |
| | |  Guangzhou Evergrande | 0 | 1 | 1 |
|  Suwon Bluewings | 2 | 2 | 4 | | |

|  Kashiwa Reysol (a) | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| |  Kashiwa Reysol | 1 | 1 | 2 |
|  |
| | |  Guangzhou Evergrande | 3 | 1 | 4 |
|  Seongnam FC | 2 | 0 | 2 |

|  Guangzhou Evergrande | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| |  Guangzhou Evergrande | 2 | 0 | 2 |
|  |
| | |  Gamba Osaka | 1 | 0 | 1 |
|  Jeonbuk Motors | 1 | 1 | 2 | |

|  Beijing Guoan | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| |  Jeonbuk Motors | 0 | 2 | 2 |
|  |
| | |  Gamba Osaka | 0 | 3 | 3 |
|  FC Seoul | 1 | 2 | 3 |

|  Gamba Osaka | 3 | 3 | 6 |

### Round of 16

[edit]

In the round of 16, the winners of one group played the runners-up of another group in the same zone, with the group winners hosting the second leg.

Team 1  | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2  | 1st leg  | 2nd leg

|
|
|
|

West Zone  Al-Sadd | 3–4  |  Lekhwiya | 1–2 | 2–2
Persepolis | 1–3  |  Al-Hilal | 1–0 | 0–3
Al-Ahli | 3–3 (a)  |  Al-Ain | 0–0 | 3–3
Naft Tehran | 2–2 (a)  |  Al-Ahli | 1–0 | 1–2
Team 1  | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2  | 1st leg  | 2nd leg

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|
|
|

East Zone  Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 4–4 (a)  |  Kashiwa Reysol | 2–3 | 2–1
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 2–1  |  Beijing Guoan | 1–1 | 1–0
FC Seoul | 3–6  |  Gamba Osaka | 1–3 | 2–3
Seongnam FC | 2–3  |  Guangzhou Evergrande | 2–1 | 0–2

### Quarter-finals

[edit]

The draw for the quarter-finals was held on 18 June 2015. Teams from different zones could not be drawn into the same tie, and there was no seeding or country protection, so teams from the same association could be drawn into the same tie.[14]

Team 1  | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2  | 1st leg  | 2nd leg

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|

West Zone  Al-Hilal | 6–3  |  Lekhwiya | 4–1 | 2–2
Naft Tehran | 1–3  |  Al-Ahli | 0–1 | 1–2
Team 1  | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2  | 1st leg  | 2nd leg

|
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|
|

East Zone  Kashiwa Reysol | 2–4  |  Guangzhou Evergrande | 1–3 | 1–1
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 2–3  |  Gamba Osaka | 0–0 | 2–3

### Semi-finals

[edit]

In the semi-finals, the matchups were determined by the quarter-final draw.[14]

Team 1  | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2  | 1st leg  | 2nd leg

|
|
|
|

West Zone  Al-Hilal | 3–4  |  Al-Ahli | 1–1 | 2–3
Team 1  | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2  | 1st leg  | 2nd leg

|
|
|
|

East Zone  Guangzhou Evergrande | 2–1  |  Gamba Osaka | 2–1 | 0–0

### Final

[edit]

Main article: 2015 AFC Champions League Final

In the final, the finalist from the West Zone hosted the first leg, while the finalist from the East Zone hosted the second leg (no draw was held to determine the order of legs, as it was reversed from the previous season's final).[14]

7 November 2015

19:45 UTC+4

Al-Ahli | 0–0|  Guangzhou Evergrande

|
|

| Report |

Al-Rashid Stadium, Dubai

Attendance: 9,480

Referee: Kim Jong-hyeok (South Korea)

21 November 2015

20:00 UTC+8

Guangzhou Evergrande | 1–0|  Al-Ahli

|
|

Elkeson 54' | Report |

Tianhe Stadium, Guangzhou

Attendance: 42,499

Referee: Ravshan Irmatov (Uzbekistan)

Guangzhou Evergrande won 1–0 on aggregate.

## Awards

[edit]

Award  | Player  | Team

|
|

Most Valuable Player[15] |  Ricardo Goulart |  Guangzhou Evergrande
Top Goalscorer[15] |  Ricardo Goulart |  Guangzhou Evergrande
Fair Play Award[15] | —  |  Guangzhou Evergrande

### Dream team

[edit]

The AFC selected the following 11 players as 2015 AFC Champions League dream team.[16]

Pos. | Player  | Team

|
|

GK |  Masaaki Higashiguchi |  Gamba Osaka
DF |  Zhang Linpeng |  Guangzhou Evergrande
Kwon Kyung-won |  Al-Ahli
Kim Young-gwon |  Guangzhou Evergrande
Yasser Al-Shahrani |  Al-Hilal
MF |  Huang Bowen |  Guangzhou Evergrande
Zheng Zhi |  Guangzhou Evergrande
Majed Hassan |  Al-Ahli
FW |  Ahmed Khalil |  Al-Ahli
Elkeson |  Guangzhou Evergrande
Ricardo Goulart |  Guangzhou Evergrande

## Top scorers

[edit]

Rank  | Player  | Team  | MD1 | MD2 | MD3 | MD4 | MD5 | MD6 | 2R1 | 2R2 | QF1 | QF2 | SF1 | SF2 | F1 | F2 | Total

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1  |  Ricardo Goulart |  Guangzhou Evergrande | 1 | 3 | 2 |  |  |  |  | 2 |  |  |  |  |  |  | 8
2  |  Yang Xu |  Shandong Luneng Taishan | 2 | 1 |  | 1 | 2 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 6
Ahmed Khalil |  Al-Ahli | 1 |  |  |  |  | 2 |  | 2 |  | 1 |  |  |  |  | 6
4  |  Youssef Msakni |  Lekhwiya |  |  |  |  | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |  |  |  |  |  | 5
Omar Al Soma |  Al-Ahli |  | 1 |  | 2 |  |  |  | 2 |  |  |  |  |  |  | 5
Asamoah Gyan |  Al-Ain |  | 1 |  |  | 1 | 1 |  | 2 |  |  |  |  |  |  | 5
7  |  Patric |  Gamba Osaka |  |  |  |  | 2 |  |  | 1 |  | 1 |  |  |  |  | 4
Takashi Usami |  Gamba Osaka |  |  |  |  | 1 | 1 | 2 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 4
Masato Kudo |  Kashiwa Reysol |  | 2 |  | 1 |  |  |  |  | 1 |  |  |  |  |  | 4
Lee Dong-gook |  Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors |  |  | 2 |  | 2 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 4
Carlos Eduardo |  Al-Hilal |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 2 | 1 |  | 1 |  |  | 4
Diogo |  Buriram United |  |  |  |  | 1 | 3 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 4
Lima |  Al-Ahli |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |  |  | 4
Everton Ribeiro |  Al-Ahli |  |  |  | 1 | 1 | 1 |  |  |  |  |  | 1 |  |  | 4

Note: Goals scored in qualifying play-off not counted when determining top scorer (see regulations, Article 77.4).[1][17]

Source: the-AFC.com[18][19][20]

## See also

[edit]

* 2015 AFC Cup
* 2015 FIFA Club World Cup

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e "AFC Champions League 2015 Competition Regulations" (PDF). AFC.
2. ^ "Revamp of AFC competitions". AFC. 25 January 2014.
3. ^ "ExCo approves expanded AFC Asian Cup finals". AFC. 16 April 2014.
4. ^ a b c "AFC MA Ranking as at 3 November 2014" (PDF). AFC.
5. ^ "AFC Competitions Committee meeting". AFC. 28 November 2014.
6. ^ a b "AFC Champions League slots allocated for 2015-2016". AFC. 4 December 2014.
7. ^ "Slot allocation for ACL 2015 - 2016" (PDF). AFC.
8. ^ "AFC Champions League 2015: The contenders..." AFC. 10 December 2014.
9. ^ "CHÍNH THỨC: B.Bình Dương và Hà Nội T&T tham dự AFC Champions League 2015" (in Vietnamese). Vietnam Football Federation. 30 November 2014. Archived from the original on 5 December 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
10. ^ "AFC Calendar of Competitions 2015" (PDF). AFC.
11. ^ "The Official Draw of the AFC Champions League 2015". NewTR.tv. 11 December 2014.
12. ^ "The Official Draw for the AFC Champions League & AFC Cup 2015". NewTR.tv. 18 June 2015.
13. ^ a b "AFC Champions League 2015 Draw". AFC. 12 December 2014.
14. ^ a b c "Al Hilal to face Lekhwiya in ACL quarter-finals". AFC. 18 June 2015.
15. ^ a b c "Hotshot Goulart adds awards to ACL title success". AFC. 22 November 2015.
16. ^ "ACL2015 Dream Team". AFC Champions League. 23 November 2015. Retrieved 23 November 2015.
17. ^ "Top Goal Scorers (by Stage) – 2015 AFC Champions League Playoff". AFC.com.
18. ^ "Top Goal Scorers (by Stage) – 2015 AFC Champions League Group Stage". AFC.com.
19. ^ "Top Goal Scorers (by Stage) – 2015 AFC Champions League Round of 16". AFC.com.
20. ^ "Top Goal Scorers (by Stage) – 2015 AFC Champions League Knockout Stage". AFC.com.

## External links

[edit]

* AFC Champions League, the-AFC.com

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