AFC Champions League: Qatar’s Al Sadd, Al Duhail eye place in Knockout Stage
Continental event group
matches kick off from Monday in Qatar
Clubs from Iran, Saudi
Arabia, UAE, Uzbekistan and Iraq along with Qatar to be seen in action in the
11-day competition
By Armstrong Vas
Defending champions Al
Hilal of Saudi Arabia along with a host of former winners including Qatar’s Al
Sadd will be seen in action in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC)
Champions’ League group matches of the West Zone to be hosted by Qatar at four
different stadiums from Monday, September 14.
The AFC Champions League
will welcome the return of Asia’s top clubs after more than six months of
waiting and 15 clubs competing in Qatar will be looking to keep alive their
hopes of securing a place in the Knockout Stage.
Strict measures have been
put in place by the AFC as well as the Qatar Government and all matches will be
played under strict health regulations to protect players and officials from
the COVID-19 pandemic.
Clubs from Iran, Saudi
Arabia, UAE, Uzbekistan and Iraq along with clubs from Qatar will be seen in
action in the 11-day competition which will be played at three stadiums which
will host matches of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium
in Al Sadd, Janoub Stadium in Al Wakrah, Khalifa International Stadium and
Education City Stadium will play host to the matches. The last three stadiums
will host the 2022 World Cup matches
The continental event,
involving the top clubs, was called off in March after the Corona Virus Pandemic
broke out
Earlier, the AFC club
event was played on a home and away basis. But due to the Corona Virus
Pandemic, four group matches will be played in one single country.
The winner of the AFC
Champions League will get a chance to play in the FIFA Club World Cup to be
hosted in Qatar in the month of December this year. For the second successive
year, the 2022 World Cup hosts will be hosting the club event.
“It is good that some of
the top players from Asian clubs are coming to Qatar and will play at three
stadiums which will host the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Hopefully, the Qatari clubs,
Al Sadd and Al Duhail take advantage of the home conditions and qualify for the
next stage,” said an Indian football fan Vishant Hegde, who has been in Qatar
for the last 14 years.
Mauritian national Yasser
is also excited that some top football action is coming to Qatar.
“Although I have not been
following top Asian clubs, I have been certainly following the progress of
Qatari clubs and hopefully they will top in
their respective groups and qualify for the Knockout Stage,” said
Yasser.
Sixteen top clubs from
Asia were to compete in Qatar but Al Wahda FSCC pulled out as a number of their
players contracted the Covid19 virus. Thy UAE Football Association wrote to AFC
requested postponement of matches but the request could was turned down.
With Al Wahda FSCC pulling
out Shabab Al Ahli Dubai.Al Ain FC and Sharjah will carry forward UAE brand of
football in Qatar. Besides, Al Hilal, Al Ahli Saudi FC, Al Nassr and Al Taawoun
FC will be the four
clubs from neighboring
Saudi Arabia will be vying to qualify for the next stage of the championship.
Besides, Al Sadd another
Qatari club Al Duhail will be seen in action in Group D matches, while Al
Duhail are in Group C.
Al Sadd have played two
group matches before the football action came to a standstill now go into the
tournament with four points from two matches. Coached by former Barcelona
legend Xavi, the two-time AFC Champions League winners, who recently bolstered
their ranks with the signing of former Spain and Arsenal midfielder Santi
Cazorla, resume action in the Asian club competition with a match against Al
Ain FC of UAE.
Saudi Arabi’s Al Nassr
also have four points while Sepahan FC of Iran have three points while Al Ain
FC are lying at the bottom of the table.
Al Duhail, which in August
won the QNB Stars League, have three points from two matches. Al Taawoun FC of
Saudi Arabia are leading the group with an all-win record having six points in
their kitty. Persepolis FC , Iran and Sharjah
of UAE are the other teams in the group. They begin their campaign with
a match against Sharjah.
To ensure the safety of
everyone involved in the AFC Champions League, players and officials were
required to undergo COVID-19 testing before their departure from their
respective countries and again upon their arrival in Qatar while subsequent
tests will be conducted every three to six days.
All players and officials
will also be put under a ‘medical bubble’ which limits their movement only to
the hotel, stadium and training sites.
Group A
Al Ahli Saudi FC (KSA) 2 1 1 0 3 2 1 4
Al Wahda FSCC (UAE) 2 1 1 0 2 1 1 4
Esteghlal FC (IRN) 2 0 1 1 2 3 -1 1
Al Shorta (IRQ)
2 0 1 1 1 2 -1 1
Monday, 14 September
Al Ahli Saudi FC (KSA) vs
Al Shorta (IRQ)
Khalifa International
Stadium (Doha) 18:00
Al Wahda FSCC (UAE) vs
Esteghlal FC (IRN)
Khalifa International
Stadium (Doha) 21:00
Thursday, 17 September
Al Shorta (IRQ) vs Al Ahli
Saudi FC (KSA)
Khalifa International
Stadium (Doha) 18:00
Esteghlal FC (IRN) vs Al Wahda FSCC (UAE)
Khalifa International
Stadium (Doha) 21:00
Sunday, 20 September
Al Ahli Saudi FC (KSA) vs
Al Wahda FSCC (UAE)
Khalifa International
Stadium (Doha) 18:00
Esteghlal FC (IRN) vs Al
Shorta (IRQ)
Khalifa International
Stadium (Doha) 21:00
Wednesday, 23 September
Al Wahda FSCC (UAE) vs Al
Shorta (IRQ)
Khalifa International
Stadium (Doha) 18:00
Esteghlal FC (IRN) Vs Al Ahli Saudi FC (KSA)
Al Janoub Stadium (Al
Wakrah, Doha) 18:00
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Group B matches
Pakhtakor (UZB) 2 2 0 0 5 1 4 6
Al Hilal SFC (KSA) 2 2 0 0 4 1 3 6
Shabab Al Ahli Dubai (UAE) 2 0 0 2 2 4 -2 0
Shahr Khodro FC (IRN) 2 0 0 2 0 5 -5 0
Monday, 14 September
Shabab Al Ahli Dubai (UAE)
vs Shahr Khodro FC (IRN)
Al Janoub Stadium (Al
Wakrah, Doha) 18:00
Al Hilal SFC (KSA) vs Pakhtakor (UZB)
Al Janoub Stadium (Al
Wakrah, Doha) 21:00
Thursday, 17 September
Shahr Khodro FC (IRN)
vs Shabab Al Ahli Dubai (UAE)
Al Janoub Stadium (Al
Wakrah, Doha) 18:00
Pakhtakor (UZB) vs Al
Hilal SFC (KSA)
Al Janoub Stadium (Al Wakrah, Doha) 21:00
Sunday, 20 September
Shahr Khodro FC (IRN) vs
Al Hilal SFC (KSA)
Al Janoub Stadium (Al
Wakrah, Doha) 18:00
Shabab Al Ahli Dubai (UAE)
vs Pakhtakor (UZB)
Al Janoub Stadium (Al
Wakrah, Doha), 21:00
Wednesday, 23 September
Al Hilal SFC (KSA) vs
Shabab Al Ahli Dubai (UAE)
Khalifa International
Stadium (Doha), 21:00
Shahr Khodro FC (IRN) vs
Pakhtakor (UZB)
Al Janoub Stadium (Al
Wakrah, Doha), 21:00
-----------------------------
Group C
Standings
P W D L F A GD PTS
Al Taawoun FC (KSA) 2 2 0 0 3 0 3 6
Al Duhail SC (QAT) 2 1 0 1 2 2 0 3
Persepolis FC (IRN) 2 0 1 1 2 4 -2 1
Sharjah (UAE) 2 0 1 1 2 3 -1 1
Tuesday, 15 September
Al Duhail SC (QAT) vs
Sharjah (UAE)
Education City Stadium
(Doha) ) 18:00
Persepolis FC (IRN) vs Al
Taawoun FC (KSA)
Education City Stadium
(Doha) 21:00
Friday, 18 September
Sharjah (UAE) vs Al Duhail
SC (QAT)
Education City Stadium
(Doha) ) 18:00
Al Taawoun FC (KSA) vs
Persepolis FC (IRN)
Education City Stadium
(Doha) 21:00
Monday, 21 September
Persepolis FC (IRN) vs Al
Duhail SC (QAT)
Education City Stadium
(Doha) ) 18:00
Al Taawoun FC (KSA) vs
Sharjah (UAE)
Education City Stadium
(Doha) 21:00
Thursday, 24 September
Al Duhail SC (QAT) vs Al
Taawoun FC (KSA)
Education City Stadium
(Doha) 21:00
Persepolis FC (IRN) vs
Sharjah (UAE)
Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium
(Doha) 21:00
-----------------------------
Group D
Standings
P W D L F A GD PTS
Al Sadd SC (QAT) 2 1 1 0 5 2 3 4
Al Nassr (KSA) 2 1 1 0 4 3 1 4
Sepahan FC (IRN) 2 1 0 1 4 3 1 3
Al Ain FC (UAE) 2 0 0 2 1 6 -5 0
Tuesday, 15 September
Al Ain FC (UAE) vs Al Sadd
SC (QAT)
Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium
(Doha) ) 18:00
Sepahan FC (IRN) vs Al
Nassr (KSA)
Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium
(Doha) 21:00
Friday, 18 September
Al Sadd SC (QAT) vs Al Ain
FC (UAE)
Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium
(Doha) ) 18:00
Al Nassr (KSA) vs Sepahan
FC (IRN)
Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium
(Doha) 21:00
Monday, 21 September
Al Sadd SC (QAT) vs Al
Nassr (KSA)
Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium
(Doha) ) 18:00
Sepahan FC (IRN) vs Al Ain
FC (UAE)
Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium
(Doha) 21:00
Thursday, 24 September
Sepahan FC (IRN) vs Al
Sadd SC (QAT)
Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium
(Doha) ) 18:00
Al Nassr (KSA) vs Al Ain
FC (UAE) )
Education City Stadium
(Doha) ) 18:00
----------------------
Group E
P W D L F A GD PTS
FC Seoul (KOR) 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 3
Beijing FC (CHN) 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 3
Melbourne Victory (AUS) 2 1 0 1 1 1 0 3
Chiangrai United (THA) 2 0 0 2 0 2 -2 0
f
FC Tokyo (JPN) 2 1 1 0 2 1 1 4
Ulsan Hyundai FC (KOR) 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1
Shanghai Shenhua FC (CHN) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Perth Glory (AUS) 1 0 0 1 0 1 -1 0
Group G
Vissel Kobe (JPN) 2 2 0 0 6 1 5 6
Johor Darul Ta'zim (MAS) 2 1 0 1 3 6 -3 3
Guangzhou Evergrande FC
(CHN) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Suwon Samsung Bluewings
(KOR)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Group H
Yokohama F. Marinos (JPN) 2 2 0 0 6 1 5 6
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC
(KOR) 2 0 1 1 3 4 -1 1
Sydney FC (AUS) 2 0 1 1 2 6 -4 1
Shanghai SIPG FC (CHN) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Comments
Post a Comment