2015 AFC Cup knockout stage

The 2015 AFC Cup knockout stage was played from 26 May to 31 October 2015. A total of 16 teams competed in the knockout stage to decide the champions of the 2015 AFC Cup.http://www.the-afc.com/uploads/afc/files/acc_2015_competition_regulations_final.pdf AFC Cup 2015 Competition Regulations AFC PDF Qualified teams The winners and runners-up of each of the eight groups in the group stage qualified for the knockout stage. Both West Zone and East Zone had eight teams qualified. ZoneGroupWinnersRunners-upWest Zone(Groups A–D)AJOR Al-WehdatSYR 1980 Al-WahdaBIRQ Al-ShortaJOR Al-JazeeraCTJK IstiklolKUW Al-QadsiaDSYR 1980 Al-JaishKUW Al-KuwaitEast Zone(Groups E–H)EIDN Persipura JayapuraIND BengaluruFMAS Johor Darul Ta'zimHKG KitcheeGHKG South ChinaMAS PahangHIDN Persib BandungMYA Ayeyawady United Format In the knockout stage, the 16 teams played a single-elimination tournament. In the quarter-finals and semi-finals, each tie was played on a home-and-away two-legged basis, while in the round of 16 and final, each tie was played as a single match. The away goals rule (for two-legged ties), extra time (away goals would not apply in extra time) and penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winner if necessary. Schedule The schedule of each round was as follows.http://www.the-afc.com/uploads/afc/files/afc_competitions_calendar_2015.pdf AFC AFC Calendar of Competitions 2015 PDF RoundFirst legSecond legRound of 1626–27 May 2015Quarter-finals25–26 August 201515–16 September 2015Semi-finals29–30 September 201520–21 October 2015Final31 October 2015 Bracket 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 match. The matchups were determined as follows: West Zone Winner Group A vs. Runner-up Group C Winner Group C vs. Runner-up Group A Winner Group B vs. Runner-up Group D Winner Group D vs. Runner-up Group B East Zone Winner Group E vs. Runner-up Group G Winner Group G vs. Runner-up Group E Winner Group F vs. Runner-up Group H Winner Group H vs. Runner-up Group F The draw for the quarter-finals was held on 18 June 2015, 15:00 UTC+8, at the Grand Millennium Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.http://www.the-afc.com/afc-cup-2015/afc-cup-2015-quarter-finals-draw-concluded AFC Cup 2015 Quarter-finals draw concluded AFC 18 June 2015 Teams from different zones could 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.http://www.the-afc.com/afc-cup-2015/stage-set-for-afc-cup-quarter-finals-draw Stage set for AFC Cup quarter-finals draw AFC 16 June 2015 In the semi-finals, the matchups were determined by the quarter-final draw: Winner QF1 vs. Winner QF2 and Winner QF3 vs. Winner QF4, with winners QF2 and QF4 hosting the second leg. In the final, the host team was determined by a draw, held after the quarter-final draw. 1/2/2/1 y y n 200 Round of 16 Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final IRQ Al-Shorta 0 KUW Al-Kuwait 2 IDN Persib Bandung 0 HKG Kitchee 2 TJK Istiklol (pen.) 1(4) SYR 1980 Al-Wahda 1(2) IDN Persipura Jayapura 0 MAS Pahang (awd. Awarded) 3 JOR Al-Wehdat 0 KUW Al-Qadsia 1 SYR 1980 Al-Jaish 1 JOR Al-Jazeera 0 MAS Johor Darul Ta'zim 5 MYA Ayeyawady United 0 HKG South China 2 IND Bengaluru 0 KUW Al-Kuwait 6 1 7 HKG Kitchee 0 1 1 TJK Istiklol 4 1 5 MAS Pahang 0 3 3 KUW Al-Qadsia 3 0 3 SYR 1980 Al-Jaish 0 2 2 MAS Johor Darul Ta'zim 1 3 4 HKG South China 1 1 2 KUW Al-Kuwait 4 — — TJK Istiklol (w/o Walkover) 0 — — KUW Al-Qadsia 3 — — MAS Johor Darul Ta'zim (w/o Walkover) 1 — — TJK Istiklol 0 MAS Johor Darul Ta'zim 1 Round of 16 |- !colspan=3|West Zone Al-Wehdat JOR 0–1 Al-Qadsia KUW Istiklol TJK 1–1 (4–2 p) Al-Wahda SYR 1980 Al-Shorta IRQ 0–2 Al-Kuwait KUW Al-Jaish SYR 1980 1–0 Al-Jazeera JOR |- !colspan=3|East Zone Persipura Jayapura IDN 0–3 (awd. Awarded)L Pahang MAS South China HKG 2–0 Bengaluru IND Johor Darul Ta'zim MAS 5–0 Ayeyawady United MYA Persib Bandung IDN 0–2 Kitchee HKG |} "Persipura Jayapura v Pahang" 26 May 2015 15:30 UTC+9 Persipura Jayapura IDN Cancelled0–3 (Awarded) Report MAS Pahang Mandala Stadium, Jayapura Adham Makhadmeh (Jordan) The Persipura Jayapura v Pahang match was not played as scheduled as Pahang players were denied entry into Indonesia due to visa issues.http://www.the-afc.com/media-releases/statement-on-persipura-jayapura-v-pahang-fa-afc-cup-round-of-16-fixture Statement on Persipura Jayapura v Pahang FA AFC Cup Round of 16 fixture AFC 25 May 2015 The AFC announced on 10 June 2015 that as a result, Persipura Jayapura forfeited the match and was considered to have lost the match by 3–0, based on the AFC Cup 2015 Competition Regulations and the AFC Disciplinary Code.http://www.the-afc.com/media-releases/persipura-jayapura-forfeit-afc-cup-match-v-pahang-fa Persipura Jayapura forfeit AFC Cup match v Pahang FA AFC 10 June 2015 "South China v Bengaluru" 26 May 2015 20:00 UTC+8 South China HKG 2–0 Report IND Bengaluru McBreen 28 pen. 58 Mong Kok Stadium, Hong Kong 3,381 Abdulrahman Al-Jassim (Qatar) "Istiklol v Al-Wahda" 26 May 2015 20:00 UTC+5 Istiklol TJK 1–1 yes Report SYR 1980 Al-Wahda Al Kurdi 34 o.g. Al Kurdi 21 Pamir Stadium, Dushanbe 17,100 Jumpei Iida (Japan) Davronov Nazarov Fatkhuloev Umarbaev 4–2 Omari Kataya Hamdoko Khadouj "Al-Wehdat v Al-Qadsia" 26 May 2015 19:00 UTC+3 Al-Wehdat JOR 0–1 Report KUW Al-Qadsia Al Ansari 76 Al-Hassan Stadium, Irbid 10,000 Kim Sang-woo (South Korea) "Persib Bandung v Kitchee" 27 May 2015 15:00 UTC+7 Persib Bandung IDN 0–2 Report HKG Kitchee Belencoso 32Lam Ka Wai 44 Jalak Harupat Soreang Stadium, Bandung 12,352 Dmitriy Mashentsev (Kyrgyzstan) "Johor Darul Ta'zim v Ayeyawady United" 27 May 2015 20:45 UTC+8 Johor Darul Ta'zim MAS 5–0 Report MYA Ayeyawady United Safiq 1Figueroa 46 90+1Díaz 61 74 Larkin Stadium, Johor Bahru 16,850 Jameel Abdulhusin (Bahrain) "Al-Jaish v Al-Jazeera" 27 May 2015 18:00 UTC+3 Al-Jaish SYR 1980 1–0 Report JOR Al-Jazeera Sharifa 90 pen. Al-Hassan Stadium, Irbid (Jordan)A 300 Liu Kwok Man (Hong Kong) "Al-Shorta v Al-Kuwait" 27 May 2015 19:00 UTC+3 Al-Shorta IRQ 0–2 Report KUW Al-Kuwait Al Buraiki 80 pen.Rogerinho 90+4 Grand Hamad Stadium, Doha (Qatar)B 165 Tan Hai (China) Notes A Teams from Syria were not allowed to host their home matches in their country due to security concerns. B Teams from Iraq were not allowed to host their home matches in their country due to security concerns. Quarter-finals Al-Qadsia KUW 3–2 Al-Jaish SYR 1980 3–0 0–2 Johor Darul Ta'zim MAS 4–2 South China HKG 1–1 3–1 Al-Kuwait KUW 7–1 Kitchee HKG 6–0 1–1 Istiklol TJK 5–3 Pahang MAS 4–0 1–3 |} First leg "Johor Darul Ta'zim v South China" 25 August 2015 20:45 UTC+8 Johor Darul Ta'zim MAS 1–1 Report HKG South China Figueroa 49 pen. Awal 63 Larkin Stadium, Johor Bahru 14,700 Ahmed Al-Kaf (Oman) "Al-Qadsia v Al-Jaish" 25 August 2015 19:00 UTC+3 Al-Qadsia KUW 3–0 Report SYR 1980 Al-Jaish Al Ansari 12Fuakumputu 64Al-Mutawa 69 Al Kuwait Sports Club Stadium, Kuwait City 3,000 Ma Ning (China) "Istiklol v Pahang" 26 August 2015 20:00 UTC+5 Istiklol TJK 4–0 Report MAS Pahang Chahjouyi 35Vasiev 36 77Makhmudov 51 Pamir Stadium, Dushanbe 15,000 Adham Makhadmeh (Jordan) "Al-Kuwait v Kitchee" 26 August 2015 20:15 UTC+3 Al-Kuwait KUW 6–0 Report HKG Kitchee Rogerinho 12 52Al Enezi 21Hammami 45+4Vinícius 82 pen.Al Kandari 90+2 Al Kuwait Sports Club Stadium, Kuwait City 800 Hettikamkanamge Perera (Sri Lanka) Second leg "South China v Johor Darul Ta'zim" 15 September 2015 20:00 UTC+8 South China HKG 1–3 Report MAS Johor Darul Ta'zim Awal 28 Mahali 26Safee 30 45+2 Mong Kok Stadium, Hong Kong 6,412 Fahad Al-Marri (Qatar) Johor Darul Ta'zim won 4–2 on aggregate. "Al-Jaish v Al-Qadsia" 15 September 2015 18:30 UTC+3 Al-Jaish SYR 1980 2–0 Report KUW Al-Qadsia Ebrahim 35 o.g.Al-Baher 51 Al Kuwait Sports Club Stadium, Kuwait City (Kuwait)C 1,500 Abdulrahman Al-Jassim (Qatar) Al-Qadsia won 3–2 on aggregate. "Kitchee v Al-Kuwait" 16 September 2015 20:00 UTC+8 Kitchee HKG 1–1 Report KUW Al-Kuwait Paulinho 9 Al Hajri 49 Mong Kok Stadium, Hong Kong 1,392 Jarred Gillett (Australia) Al-Kuwait won 7–1 on aggregate. "Pahang v Istiklol" 16 September 2015 20:45 UTC+8 Pahang MAS 3–1 Report TJK Istiklol Hafiz 31 58Saarvindran 90+2 Makhmudov 61 Darul Makmur Stadium, Kuantan 1,309 Abdullah Al Hilali (Oman) Istiklol won 5–3 on aggregate. Notes C 3 Teams from Syria were not allowed to host their home matches in their country due to security concerns. Semi-finals Al-Qadsia KUW w/o WalkoverM 1 Johor Darul Ta'zim MAS 3–1 Cancelled Al-Kuwait KUW w/o WalkoverM 2 Istiklol TJK 4–0 Cancelled |} First leg "Al-Qadsia v Johor Darul Ta'zim" 29 September 2015 19:20 UTC+3 Al-Qadsia KUW 3-1 Report MAS Johor Darul Ta'zim Fuakumputu 33Al-Mutawa 42 pen.Soumah 58 Amri 82 Al Kuwait Sports Club Stadium, Kuwait City 1,501 Ko Hyung-jin (South Korea) "Al-Kuwait v Istiklol" 30 September 2015 19:20 UTC+3 Al-Kuwait KUW 4–0 Report TJK Istiklol Vinícius 40 80 pen. 86 pen.Al Harbi 90+2 Al Kuwait Sports Club Stadium, Kuwait City 350 Mohsen Torky (Iran) Second leg On 16 October 2015, the Kuwait Football Association was suspended by FIFA.https://www.fifa.com/governance/news/y=2015/m=10/news=suspension-of-the-kuwait-football-association-2717726.html https://web.archive.org/web/20151018164814/http://www.fifa.com/governance/news/y=2015/m=10/news=suspension-of-the-kuwait-football-association-2717726.html dead October 18, 2015 Suspension of the Kuwait Football Association FIFA.com 16 October 2015 As a result, both Al-Qadsia and Al-Kuwait were no longer eligible to compete in the AFC Cup. The second legs of both semi-finals were cancelled, and Johor Darul Ta'zim and Istiklol advanced to the final by walkover.http://www.the-afc.com/media-releases-afc-cup-2015/fifa-suspension-of-kuwait-fa-afc-cup-implications FIFA Suspension of Kuwait FA: AFC Cup implications AFC 17 October 2015 "Johor Darul Ta'zim v Al-Qadsia" 20 October 2015 20:45 UTC+8 Johor Darul Ta'zim MAS Cancelled Report KUW Al-Qadsia Larkin Stadium, Johor Bahru Ma Ning (China) "Istiklol v Al-Kuwait" 21 October 2015 18:00 UTC+5 Istiklol TJK Cancelled Report KUW Al-Kuwait Pamir Stadium, Dushanbe Valentin Kovalenko (Uzbekistan) Final 2015 AFC Cup final Istiklol TJK 0–1 Johor Darul Ta'zim MAS |} "Istiklol v Johor Darul Ta'zim" 31 October 2015 17:00 UTC+5 Istiklol TJK 0–1 Report MAS Johor Darul Ta'zim Velázquez 23 Pamir Stadium, Dushanbe 18,000 Minoru Tōjō (Japan) References External links AFC Cup, the-AFC.com *3