The 2020 AFC Champions League Final was the final of the 2020 AFC Champions League, the 39th edition of the top-level Asian club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the 18th under the AFC Champions League title.
_(74).jpg) The Ulsan Hyundai team lifting the 2020 AFC Champions League trophy | |||||||
| Event | 2020 AFC Champions League | ||||||
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| Date | 19 December 2020 | ||||||
| Venue | Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah | ||||||
| Man of the Match | Sin Jin-ho (Ulsan Hyundai)[1] | ||||||
| Referee | Abdulrahman Al-Jassim (Qatar)[2] | ||||||
| Attendance | 8,517 | ||||||
| Weather | Mostly cloudy 24 °C (75 °F) | ||||||
The final was contested as a single match between Persepolis from Iran and Ulsan Hyundai from South Korea. Under the original format and schedule, the final would have been contested in two-legged home-and-away format, with the first leg played on 22 November and the second leg on 28 November 2020. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tournament was suspended between March and September 2020, and upon its resumption, all matches were relocated to centralised venues in Qatar, and the final was played at Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wakrah on 19 December 2020.[3]
Ulsan Hyundai won their second AFC Champions League title. As Asian champions, they qualified for the 2020 FIFA Club World Cup in Qatar.
Teams
editIn the following table, the finals until 2002 were in the Asian Club Championship era, and since 2003 in the AFC Champions League era.
| Team | Region | Previous finals appearances (bold indicates winners) |
|---|---|---|
 Persepolis
|
West Region (Zone: CAFA) | 1 (2018) |
 Ulsan Hyundai
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East Region (Zone: EAFF) | 1 (2012) |
Venue
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On 16 October 2020, the AFC announced that the final would be played in Doha, Qatar.[3] This was the first Asian club competition final held at Al Janoub Stadium.
On 18 December 2020, the AFC announced that they had agreed with the Qatar Football Association to allow a limited number of fans to attend the match, which was the first match since restart of the tournament to have spectators.[4]
Road to the final
editNote: In all results below, the score of the finalist is given first (H: home; A: away; *: played in Qatar after restart).
| Persepolis
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Round | Ulsan Hyundai
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| Opponent | Result | Group stage | Opponent | Result | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Al-Duhail
|
0–2 (A) | Matchday 1 |  FC Tokyo
|
1–1 (H) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Sharjah
|
2–2 (A) | Matchday 2 |  Shanghai Shenhua
|
3–1 (*) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Al-Taawoun
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1–0 (*) | Matchday 3 |  Perth Glory
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2–1 (*) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Al-Taawoun
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1–0 (*) | Matchday 4 | Perth Glory
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2–0 (*) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Al-Duhail
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0–1 (*) | Matchday 5 | FC Tokyo
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2–1 (*) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sharjah
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4–0 (*) | Matchday 6 | Shanghai Shenhua
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4–1 (*) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Group C winners
Source: AFC
|
Final standings | Group F winners
Source: AFC
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| Opponent | Result | Knockout stage | Opponent | Result | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Al-Sadd
|
1–0 (*) | Round of 16 | Melbourne Victory
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3–0 (*) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Pakhtakor
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2–0 (*) | Quarter-finals | Beijing FC
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2–0 (*) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Al-Nassr
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1–1 (a.e.t.) (5–3 p) (*) | Semi-finals | Vissel Kobe
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2–1 (a.e.t.) (*) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Format
editThe final was played as a single match. If tied after regulation time, extra time and, if necessary, a penalty shoot-out would have been used to decide the winning team.[5]
Match
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          Persepolis
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    Ulsan Hyundai
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Man of the Match:
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Match rules[5]
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Notes
edit- ^ Each team was only given three opportunities to make substitutions, with a fourth opportunity in extra time, excluding substitutions made at half-time, before the start of extra time and at half-time in extra time.
References
edit- ^ "Persepolis FC v Ulsan Hyundai FC". the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation. 19 December 2020. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f "Qatar's Al-Jassim to officiate AFC Champions League Final". Asian Football Confederation. 17 December 2020.
- ^ a b "AFC Champions League Final to be played in Doha, Qatar". the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation. 16 October 2020.
- ^ "AFC Champions League Final to mark the long-awaited return of fans". Asian Football Confederation. 18 December 2020.
- ^ a b "2020 AFC Champions League Competition Regulations" (PDF). Asian Football Confederation.
External links
edit- AFC Champions League, the-AFC.com
- AFC Champions League 2020, stats.the-AFC.com