# 2011 AFC Champions League

The 2011 AFC Champions League was the 30th edition of the top-level Asian club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the 9th under the current AFC Champions League title. The winners, Al-Sadd qualified for the 2011 FIFA Club World Cup in Japan.

## Allocation of entries per association

The AFC approved criteria for participation in the 2011 and 2012 seasons. The final decision date was set after the Executive Committee meeting in November 2010.
On 30 November 2009, the AFC announced 12 more MA's that were keen to join the ACL, in addition to ten participating national associations. Singapore later withdrew. The full list of candidate associations were as follows:

### East Asia

* Already participating: Australia, China PR, Indonesia, Japan, Korea Republic
* Keen to participate: Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand
* Withdrew: Singapore
* Disqualified: Vietnam

### West Asia

* Already participating: Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Uzbekistan
* Keen to participate: Iraq, Jordan, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Tajikistan, Yemen, India
Note: Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and India have clubs taking part in play-offs to qualify for the group stages of ACL in 2010.

### Entrants per association

The allocation for entry to the 2011 ACL stayed the same as the previous two seasons with the exception of Vietnam who were disqualified and their previous playoff slot was awarded to Qatar.
* Meet the criteria
* Do not meet the criteria
The finalists of the 2010 AFC Cup also participated in the play-off, provided that they meet the Champions League criteria.

## Teams

The following is the list of direct entrants for the group stage confirmed by the AFC.
Group stage direct entrants: West Asia (Groups A–D) :
| Team | Qualifying method | App* | Last App |
| Sepahan | 2009–10 Persian Gulf Cup champions | 7th | 2010 |
| Persepolis | 2009–10 Hazfi Cup winners | 3rd | 2009 |
| Zob Ahan | 2009–10 Persian Gulf Cup runners-up | 3rd | 2010 |
| Esteghlal | 2009–10 Persian Gulf Cup 3rd place | 4th | 2010 |
| Al-Hilal | 2009–10 Saudi Professional League champions | 7th | 2010 |
| Al-Ittihad Jeddah | 2009–10 Saudi Professional League runners-up 2010 King Cup of Champions winners | 7th | 2010 |
| Al-Nassr | 2009–10 Saudi Professional League 3rd place | 1st | none |
| Al-Shabab | 2009–10 Saudi Professional League 4th place | 6th | 2010 |
| Al-Wahda | 2009–10 UAE Premier League champions | 6th | 2010 |
| Emirates | 2009–10 UAE President's Cup winners | 1st | none |
| Al-Jazira | 2009–10 UAE Premier League runners-up | 3rd | 2010 |
| Al-Gharafa | 2009–10 Qatar Stars League champions | 6th | 2010 |
| Al-Rayyan | 2010 Emir of Qatar Cup winners | 3rd | 2007 |
| Bunyodkor | 2010 Uzbek League champions 2010 Uzbekistan Cup winners | 4th | 2010 |
| Pakhtakor | 2010 Uzbek League runners-up | 9th | 2010 |
Group stage direct entrants: East Asia (Groups E–H) :
| Team | Qualifying method | App* | Last App |
| Nagoya Grampus | 2010 J. League Division 1 champions | 2nd | 2009 |
| Kashima Antlers | 2010 Emperor's Cup winners | 5th | 2010 |
| Gamba Osaka | 2010 J. League Division 1 runners-up | 5th | 2010 |
| Cerezo Osaka | 2010 J. League Division 1 3rd place | 1st | none |
| Shandong Luneng Taishan | 2010 Chinese Super League champions | 5th | 2010 |
| Tianjin Teda | 2010 Chinese Super League runners-up | 2nd | 2009 |
| Shanghai Shenhua | 2010 Chinese Super League 3rd place | 6th | 2009 |
| Hangzhou Greentown | 2010 Chinese Super League 4th place | 1st | none |
| FC Seoul | 2010 K-League champions | 2nd | 2009 |
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 2010 Korean FA Cup winners | 4th | 2010 |
| Jeju United | 2010 K-League runners-up | 1st | none |
| Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 2010 K-League 3rd place | 5th | 2010 |
| Sydney FC | 2009–10 A-League premiers 2010 A-League Grand Final winners | 2nd | 2007 |
| Melbourne Victory | 2009–10 A-League regular season runners-up | 3rd | 2010 |
| Arema | 2009–10 Indonesia Super League champions | 2nd | 2007 |
* Number of appearances (including qualifying rounds) since the 2002/03 season, when the competition was rebranded as the AFC Champions League
The following is the list of participants for the playoff stage confirmed by the AFC. The committee further proposed that one team be shifted by the means of a draw from the West to the East for sake of balance.
Qualifying play-off participants: West Asia :
| Team | Qualifying method | App* | Last App |
| Dempo | 2009–10 I-League champions | 2nd | 2009 |
| Al-Ain | 2009–10 UAE Premier League 3rd place | 7th | 2010 |
| Al-Ittihad | 2010 AFC Cup winners | 5th | 2008 |
| Al-Sadd | 2009–10 Qatar Stars League runners-up | 8th | 2010 |
Qualifying play-off participants: East Asia :
| Team | Qualifying method | App* | Last App |
| Sriwijaya | 2010 Piala Indonesia winners | 3rd | 2010 |
| Muangthong United | 2010 Thai Premier League champions | 2nd | 2010 |

## Schedule

Schedule of dates for 2011 competition.
| Phase | Round | Draw date | First leg | Second leg |
| Qualifying play-offs | Semi-finals | 7 December 2010 | 12–13 February 2011 | 12–13 February 2011 |
| Qualifying play-offs | Finals | 7 December 2010 | 19 February 2011 | 19 February 2011 |
| Group stage | Matchday 1 | 7 December 2010 | 1–2 March 2011 | 1–2 March 2011 |
| Group stage | Matchday 2 | 7 December 2010 | 15–16 March 2011 | 15–16 March 2011 |
| Group stage | Matchday 3 | 7 December 2010 | 5–6 April 2011 | 5–6 April 2011 |
| Group stage | Matchday 4 | 7 December 2010 | 19–20 April 2011 | 19–20 April 2011 |
| Group stage | Matchday 5 | 7 December 2010 | 3–4 May 2011 | 3–4 May 2011 |
| Group stage | Matchday 6 | 7 December 2010 | 10–11 May 2011 | 10–11 May 2011 |
| Knockout phase | Round of 16 | 7 December 2010 | 24–25 May 2011 | 24–25 May 2011 |
| Knockout phase | Quarter-finals | 7 June 2011 | 14 September 2011 | 27–28 September 2011 |
| Knockout phase | Semi-finals | 7 June 2011 | 19 October 2011 | 26 October 2011 |
| Knockout phase | Final | 7 June 2011 | 4 or 5 November 2011 | 4 or 5 November 2011 |

## Qualifying play-off

The draw for the qualifying play-off was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 7 December 2010. In order to create balance another draw was held, moving one of the teams (Al-Ain) from the West into the East side of the play-offs.
The two winners from the qualifying play-off (one from West Asia and one from East Asia) advanced to the group stage. All losers from the qualifying play-off entered the 2011 AFC Cup group stage.

### West Asia

| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
| Semi-final |||
| Al-Sadd | 5–1 | Al-Ittihad |
| Final |||
| Al-Sadd | 2–0 | Dempo |

### East Asia

| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
| Semi-final |||
| Sriwijaya | 2–2 (aet)(7–6p) | Muangthong United |
| Final |||
| Sriwijaya | 0–4 | Al-Ain |

## Group stage

The draw for the group stage was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 7 December 2010. Clubs from the same country may not be drawn into the same group. The winners and runners-up of each group advanced to the knockout stage.

### Group A

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | SEP | HIL | GHA | JAZ |
| 1 | Sepahan | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 5 | +9 | 13 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 1–1 | 2–0 | 5–1 |
| 2 | Al-Hilal | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 6 | +5 | 13 | Advance to knockout stage | 1–2 | — | 2–0 | 3–1 |
| 3 | Al-Gharafa | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 7 | −1 | 7 | | 1–0 | 0–1 | — | 5–2 |
| 4 | Al-Jazira | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 20 | −13 | 1 | | 1–4 | 2–3 | 0–0 | — |
* 1 2 Tiebreakers: Sepahan and Al-Hilal are ranked by their head-to-head records: Sepahan (4 pts), Al-Hilal (1 pt).

### Group B

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | SAD | NAS | EST | PAK |
| 1 | Al-Sadd | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 6 | +2 | 10 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 1–0 | 2–2 | 2–1 |
| 2 | Al-Nassr | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 7 | +3 | 8 | Advance to knockout stage | 1–1 | — | 2–1 | 4–0 |
| 3 | Esteghlal | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 10 | +1 | 8 | | 1–1 | 2–1 | — | 4–2 |
| 4 | Pakhtakor | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 14 | −6 | 5 | | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–1 | — |
* 1 2 Tiebreakers: Al-Nassr and Esteghlal are also tied on their head-to-head records (3 pts, 0 GD, 3 GF), and so are ranked by their overall goal difference.

### Group C

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | ITT | BUN | WAH | PER |
| 1 | Al-Ittihad Jeddah | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 5 | +5 | 11 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 1–1 | 0–0 | 3–1 |
| 2 | Bunyodkor | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 6 | +2 | 9 | Advance to knockout stage | 0–1 | — | 3–2 | 0–0 |
| 3 | Al-Wahda | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 8 | −2 | 6 | | 0–3 | 1–1 | — | 2–0 |
| 4 | Persepolis | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 11 | −5 | 5 | | 3–2 | 1–3 | 1–1 | — |

### Group D

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | ZOB | SHA | EMI | RAY |
| 1 | Zob Ahan | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 3 | +4 | 13 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 0–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 |
| 2 | Al-Shabab | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 4 | +4 | 11 | Advance to knockout stage | 0–0 | — | 4–1 | 1–0 |
| 3 | Emirates | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 10 | −4 | 6 | | 0–1 | 2–1 | — | 2–0 |
| 4 | Al-Rayyan | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 8 | −4 | 4 | | 1–3 | 1–1 | 2–0 | — |

### Group E

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | GAM | TIA | JEJ | MEL |
| 1 | Gamba Osaka | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 7 | +6 | 10 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 2–0 | 3–1 | 5–1 |
| 2 | Tianjin Teda | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 6 | +2 | 10 | Advance to knockout stage | 2–1 | — | 3–0 | 1–1 |
| 3 | Jeju United | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 10 | −4 | 7 | | 2–1 | 0–1 | — | 1–1 |
| 4 | Melbourne Victory | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 11 | −4 | 6 | | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–2 | — |
* 1 2 Tiebreakers: Gamba Osaka and Tianjin Teda are ranked by their head-to-head records: Gamba Osaka (3 pts, +1 GD), Tianjin Teda (3 pts, –1 GD).

### Group F

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | SEO | NAG | AIN | HAN |
| 1 | FC Seoul | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 4 | +5 | 11 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 0–2 | 3–0 | 3–0 |
| 2 | Nagoya Grampus | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 6 | +3 | 10 | Advance to knockout stage | 1–1 | — | 4–0 | 1–0 |
| 3 | Al-Ain | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 9 | −5 | 7 | | 0–1 | 3–1 | — | 1–0 |
| 4 | Hangzhou Greentown | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 6 | −3 | 5 | | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | — |

### Group G

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | JEO | CER | SHL | ARE |
| 1 | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 2 | +12 | 15 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 1–0 | 1–0 | 6–0 |
| 2 | Cerezo Osaka | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 4 | +7 | 12 | Advance to knockout stage | 1–0 | — | 4–0 | 2–1 |
| 3 | Shandong Luneng | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 8 | +1 | 7 | | 1–2 | 2–0 | — | 5–0 |
| 4 | Arema | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 22 | −20 | 1 | | 0–4 | 0–4 | 1–1 | — |

### Group H

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | SUW | KSH | SYD | SHS |
| 1 | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 12 | 3 | +9 | 12 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 1–1 | 3–1 | 4–0 |
| 2 | Kashima Antlers | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 3 | +6 | 12 | Advance to knockout stage | 1–1 | — | 2–1 | 2–0 |
| 3 | Sydney FC | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 11 | −5 | 5 | | 0–0 | 0–3 | — | 1–1 |
| 4 | Shanghai Shenhua | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 13 | −10 | 2 | | 0–3 | 0–0 | 2–3 | — |
* 1 2 Tiebreakers: Suwon Samsung Bluewings and Kashima Antlers are also tied on their head-to-head records (2 pts, 0 GD, 2 GF), and so are ranked by their overall goal difference.

## Knockout stage
### Bracket

| Round of 16 | Round of 16 | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | | Final | Final | |
| Al-Ittihad | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Al-Hilal | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Al-Hilal | 1 | Al-Ittihad | 3 | 0 | 3 | | | | | | | | |
| | | FC Seoul | 1 | 1 | 2 | | | | | | | | |
| FC Seoul | 3 | FC Seoul | 1 | 1 | 2 | | | | | | | | |
| Kashima Antlers | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Kashima Antlers | 0 | | | | | Al-Ittihad | 2 | 1 | 3 | | | | |
| | | | | | | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 3 | 2 | 5 | | | | |
| Gamba Osaka | 0 | | | | | | | | | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 3 | 2 | 5 | | |
| Cerezo Osaka | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Cerezo Osaka | 1 | Cerezo Osaka | 4 | 1 | 5 | | | | | | | | |
| | | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 3 | 6 | 9 | | | | | | | | |
| Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 3 | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 3 | 6 | 9 | | | | | | | | |
| Tianjin Teda | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Tianjin Teda | 0 | | | | | | | | | | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 2 (2) | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | Al-Sadd (p) | 2 (4) | |
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | | Al-Sadd (p) | 2 (4) |
| Nagoya Grampus | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Nagoya Grampus | 0 | Suwon Samsung Bluewings (a.e.t.) | 1 | 2 | 3 | | | | | | | | |
| | | Zob Ahan | 1 | 1 | 2 | | | | | | | | |
| Zob Ahan | 4 | Zob Ahan | 1 | 1 | 2 | | | | | | | | |
| Al-Nassr | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Al-Nassr | 1 | | | | | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 0 | 1 | 1 | | | | |
| | | | | | | Al-Sadd | 2 | 0 | 2 | | | | |
| Sepahan | 3 | | | | | | | | | Al-Sadd | 2 | 0 | 2 | | |
| Bunyodkor | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Bunyodkor | 1 | Sepahan | 0 | 2 | 2 | | | | | | | | |
| | | Al-Sadd | 3 | 1 | 4 | | | | | | | | |
| Al-Sadd | 1 | Al-Sadd | 3 | 1 | 4 | | | | | | | | |
| Al-Shabab | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | |

### Round of 16

Based on the results from the group stage, the matchups of the round of 16 were decided as below. Each tie was played as one match, hosted by the winners of each group (Team 1) against the runners-up of another group (Team 2).
West Asia :
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
East Asia :
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |

### Quarter-finals

The draw for the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 7 June 2011. In this draw, the "country protection" rule was applied: if there are exactly two clubs from the same country, they may not face each other in the quarter-finals; however, if there are more than two clubs from the same country, they may face each other in the quarter-finals.
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Cerezo Osaka | 5–9 | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 4–3 | 1–6 |
| Al-Ittihad | 3–2 | FC Seoul | 3–1 | 0–1 |
| Sepahan | 2–4 | Al-Sadd | 0–3 | 2–1 |
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 3–2 | Zob Ahan | 1–1 | 2–1 (aet) |

#### Notes

* ^ The AFC Disciplinary Committee decided to award the quarter-final first leg to Al-Sadd against Sepahan as a 3–0 forfeit win after Sepahan were found guilty of fielding an ineligible player. The match originally ended 1–0 to Sepahan.

### Semi-finals

| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 1–2 | Al-Sadd | 0–2 | 1–0 |
| Al-Ittihad | 3–5 | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 2–3 | 1–2 |

### Final

The final of the 2011 AFC Champions League was hosted by one of the finalists, decided by draw. This format was a change from the 2009 and 2010 editions, where the final was played at a neutral venue.

## Awards

The following awards were given for the 2011 AFC Champions League:
* Most Valuable Player Award: Lee Dong-Gook (Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors)
* Top Scorer: Lee Dong-Gook (Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors)
* Fair Play Award: Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors

## Top scorers

Note: Goals scored in qualifying round not counted.
| Rank | Player | Club | MD1 | MD2 | MD3 | MD4 | MD5 | MD6 | R16 | QF1 | QF2 | SF1 | SF2 | 0 F 0 | Total |
| 1 | Lee Dong-Gook | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | | | | 1 | 2 | | | 2 | 4 | | | | 9 |
| 2 | Eninho | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | | | | | | | 2 | | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7 |
| 3 | Ha Tae-Gyun | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | | 3 | | | 1 | 2 | | | | | | | 6 |
| 4 | Bader Al-Mutawa | Al-Nassr | 1 | | | | 2 | 1 | 1 | | | | | | 5 |
| 4 | Farhad Majidi | Esteghlal | 1 | | 1 | | 2 | 1 | | | | | | | 5 |
| 4 | Dejan Damjanović | FC Seoul | 1 | 1 | | | 2 | | 1 | | | | | | 5 |
| 4 | Ibrahima Touré | Sepahan | 1 | 1 | | | | 2 | 1 | | | | | | 5 |
| 8 | Yasser Al-Qahtani | Al-Hilal | | | 1 | 2 | | 1 | | | | | | | 4 |
| 8 | Abdelmalek Ziaya | Al-Ittihad | 2 | | 1 | | | | 1 | | | | | | 4 |
| 8 | Hiroshi Kiyotake | Cerezo Osaka | | | | | 1 | 1 | | 2 | | | | | 4 |
| 8 | Takashi Inui | Cerezo Osaka | | | 1 | | 2 | 1 | | | | | | | 4 |
| 8 | Rodrigo Pimpão | Cerezo Osaka | 2 | | | | 1 | 1 | | | | | | | 4 |
| 8 | Yeom Ki-Hun | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | | | 1 | 1 | 1 | | 1 | | | | | | 4 |
| 8 | Igor Castro | Zob Ahan | 1 | | 1 | | | | 2 | | | | | | 4 |
| 8 | Mohammad Ghazi | Zob Ahan | | | | | 1 | | 1 | 1 | 1 | | | | 4 |