AFC Champions League 2005

[Cannon ball]

I thought Iraq had a pretty good national team, have they gone down hill since the 2004 olympics?

[Mussav]

Originally Posted by Wrighty29

I thought Iraq had a pretty good national team, have they gone down hill since the 2004 olympics?

After the Olympics our coach left us and he went to a Qatari Club
And now we have a new coach and he decide to bring new players from Iraq Super League
So we will face Australia with our local Players
Our new Coach want to make a tem for the Asian Cup 2007
And he said he don’t want the Olympic players for now

And this is the first match for our new team
And we loosed form a local team 3-0 what a nightmare
Or maybe al Zawra a strong club
Thy didn’t loosed any match thy played 16 match and thy didn’t lossed any match
Any way I forget to mention that Al Zawra club have a half of the Olympic team and thy have the best players from the youth team and thy have a players from the Iraq National team in the 90’s and 2004 players

[Mussav]

ACL champions fired up for Jeddah derby

JEDDAH – Reigning AFC Champions League champions Al Ittihad will be looking to maintain their dominance over city rivals Al Ahli in the eagerly anticipated second installment of the Jeddah derby on Saturday.

Al Ittihad will also hope to reduce the deficit on Saudi Arabia 2004/05 league leaders Al Hilal, who they trail ten points.

However, they have two games in hand and will be hoping to close the gap with victory over Al Ahli, who will also represent Saudi Arabia in the 2005 AFC Champions League.

Al Ittihad, who orchestrated one of the greatest comebacks in Asian football history when they defeated Seongnam Ihlwa Chunma in the 2004 AFC Champions League final, host the match and hold the psychological edge over Al Ahli having won the first clash of the season between the two great rivals back in September 2004.

Al Ahli, , went a goal down through an 11th minute penalty through Al Ittihad’s influential midfielder Mohammed Nour but Carlos Oliveira equalized 20 minutes later.

Five minutes before the interval veteran Al Ittihad striker Hamzah Idriss made it 2-1 before an own-goal from before Al Ahli’s Walid Abedraboh inadvertently made it 3-1 when he put the ball in his own net in the 60th minute.

Ibrahim Suwaid piled on the agony when he scored Al Ittihad’s fourth four minutes later while Saudi Arabia international Talal Al Meshal grabbed a late consolation for Al Ahli three minutes from time.

Al Ahli make their Asian Champions League debut on March 8 when they take on Iraq’s Al Zawra’a, while Al Ittihad, as defending champions, have been given an automatic bye to the quarter-finals.

[Mussav]

Busan held by Paraguayan side

AFC Champions League contenders Busan I’park remained on course to win the Tongyeong International Football Tournament despite being held to a 1-1 draw by Paraguayan club Tacuary on Friday.

Having beaten K-League rivals Chonbuk Motors 2-1 in their opening match on Wednesday, the Korean FA Cup holders appeared to be headed for their second win of the tournament after taking the lead after just two minutes through a free-kick by Lee Jung-hyo

However, their hopes were dashed when Carlos Luis Torres leveled the score for the Paraguayans in the 53rd minute.

Busan lead the standings at the four-team tournament by virtue of scoring a goal more than Tacuary, who beat Japan’s Oita Trinita 1-0 in their opener, but will need to win their final match against Oita on Sunday in order to claim the title in the southern port city of Tongyeong in South Kyongsang Province.

Oita bounced back from their defeat to Tacuary to beat Chonbuk 3-1 in Friday’s other match. Shota Matsuhashi scored two first-half goals for the Japanese side before Yoshihiro Uchimura added a third five minutes after the break.

Chonbuk’s Wang Jung-hyun scored a consolation goal for his side on the hour.

Oita, who are coached by Korean Hwangbo Kwan could still win the competition if they beat Busan and Tacuary fail to record a win against Chonbuk on Sunday.

[Gunplay]

Where's Kashima Antlers ? I support them you know.

[nath_scfc]

Busan Icons used to have a few English players and there manager was English. I don't know if they're still there.

[Onbail]

Im pretty sure Ian Porterfield is still at Busan and Suwon (The side that beat barcelona 1-0 in a friendly) are gonna own in this years AFC they have the best squad in Asia at the moment they just signed Croatian International Mato Neretljak and Song Chong Guk has also been signed after a brief career at Feyenoord.

[Mussav]

Al Ittihad prevail in Jeddah derby

Reigning AFC Champions League champions Al Ittihad defeated city rivals Al Ahli for the second time this season as goals from their South American strike force saw them edge a thrilling Jeddah derby 3-2.

Colombian striker Sergio Herrera headed Al Ittihad into a ninth minute lead but the advantage lasted barely five minutes as Tayseer Al Jasim levelled for Al Ahli.

Brazilian forward Ricardo Sergio, scorer of a hat-trick in Al Hilal’s 3-2 victory over Jubilo Iwata in the 1999/2000 Asian Club Championship final, put Al Ittihad in front shortly after the interval but again Al Ahli would draw level.

Sergio’s compatriot Jose Roggerio Perreira equalized in the 66th minute and could have added a second four minutes but the Brazilian missed from close range.

Sergio made Al Ahli pay for the profligacy when, with three minutes left to play, headed home Saleh Al Saqri’s cross for the winner.

The victory kept Al Ittihad in third place, five points behind defending champions Al Shabab and seven behind runaway leaders Al Hilal.

Al Hilal maintained their good run of form with a 3-1 away victory over Al Ansar while Al Shabab, who like Al Ittihad and Al Ahli will represent the Kingdom in the 2005 ACL, kept pace with the Riyadh giants with a 2-1 win over Al Wahda.

In other Round 16 matches Al Taei suffered a 2-1 defeat against Al Qadissiya, Al Nasr hammered Al Riyadh 3-1 and Al Ittifaq beat basement-dwellers Uhod 2-1.

Al Kuwait poised for league leadership

AFC Champions League qualifiers Al Kuwait could overtake Kuwaiti league leaders Al Qadisiya at the top of the table if they win their game in hand after the 2004 double winners went down 1-0 to Kazma.
Egyptian striker Mohammed Fadl scored the only goal of the game in the 26th minute and while Al Qadisiya laid siege to their opponents’ goal, Kazma keeper Bader Juma was in inspired mood.
Al Kuwait’s meeting with Al Shabab, who have yet to pick up a point this season, was postponed due to their Arab Champions League commitments but they are now only two points behind Al Qadisiya.
Al Kuwait, like Kazma and Al Yormuk, who won 2-0 at home against Al Sahel are on ten points with Al Qadisiya on 12.
Meanwhile Kuwait’s other AFC Champions league representatives Al Salmiya dropped off the pace as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Al Fahaheel.
Al Salmiya went behind after just five minutes when Saoud Feryan gave the visitors a shock lead but with four minutes of the first half left to play Saadoun Al Shammari

[Mussav]

Be proud to represent Asia: Hammam

KUALA LUMPUR – Asian Football Confederation President Mohamed Bin Hammam opened an AFC Champions League seminar in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday, calling on Asian clubs to take pride in representing their countries and continent in international competition.

The third edition of Asia’s biggest club tournament has the added bonus this year of offering a spot in the FIFA Club World Championship to the winners and the AFC are keen to see the continent’s representatives put on a good show in Yokohama in December.

“The winners of this year’s AFC Champions League will have the honour of representing Asia in the FIFA Club World Championship and we do not want them to fail,” said the AFC President in his keynote address to delegates at the opening of the seminar.

“As this is an important tournament, we want our Asian representative to be competitive against the champions of the other confederations.

“They should be up to the challenge in Japan and be a proud representative not only of their club, but of their country and their continent.”

This year’s AFC Champions League features a total of 29 teams including the league champions and cup winners of the top 14 countries in the AFC’s ‘Vision Asia’ ranking. While congratulating the clubs on their domestic successes, Hammam also highlighted the importance that they play in the development of the game in Asia.

“Congratulations to all of your clubs for representing your countries in this competition. Clubs are the base and foundation of all of our development work at the AFC and we all believe that without clubs and stable leagues, there will not be any development of football,” he said.

“Without clubs, there will not be places for youths to develop their skills. And without clubs, it will be difficult to find the players who will go on to represent their countries in international competition. Therefore, clubs have a great responsibility in the development of football.”

The AFC Champions League seminar is an opportunity for competing clubs and their national associations to meet and connect with the tournament’s organizing committee ahead of the start of this year’s competition. The two-day event at AFC House will brief teams on the rules and regulations of this year’s event as well as addressing other matters pertaining to the smooth running of the competition.

Matchday One of the AFC Champions League takes place on March 8 and 9 with 14 matches throughout the continent. A total of 28 teams have been split into seven groups with the first-placed team in each section joining defending champions Al Ittihad of Saudi Arabia in the quarter-finals.

[Mussav]

Morale boosting win for Al Zawra’a

Al Zawra scored a morale-boasting win ahead of Wednesday’s 2005 AFC Champions League Group C opener against Al Ahli with a 6-0 win over Babel in their second stage Iraq league fixture.
The Baghdad giants took the lead after only three minutes when Fawzi Abdulsada netted the first goal from the penalty spot, but Al Zawra couldn’t capitalize on their early advantage in the first half.
Ali Jawad got the second 13 minutes after the interval before Abbas Hassan scored in the 61st and 75th minutes to give the ten-time Iraqi champions a commanding 4-0 lead.
Jawad made it five with his second of the night with five minutes left to play before Ahmed Abdul Jabbar completed the rout in injury-time.
The crushing win for Al Zawra – their tenth in 13 second round matches – with the perfect fillip ahead of their forthcoming AFC Champions League clash with Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli.
While it is effectively a home game for the ‘White Seagulls’ the turbulent political climate in Baghdad dictate that Al Zawra’a and compatriots Police must play their home games outside Iraq.
Al Zawra will play their Group C ACL home matches at the Tripoli Municipal Stadium in Lebanon, with the game against Al Ahli scheduled to kick-off at 1800hrs local time.

[Jony II]

Its all about the Police baby. They will win it for sure.

[Mussav]

Asian Champions League
The first Asian steps along Tokyo road

As Champions League competitions continue all over the world, Asia begins its group stage with 28 clubs left looking for a ticket to Japan. Inspired by the huge success of the past two AFC Champions League editions, there is much expectation heading into the group stages of the competition's third installment.

And with the added bonus this year of a spot at the FIFA Club World Championship for the winners, from 8 March to 2 November the final 28 clubs will be battling more than ever to follow in the footsteps of UAE's Al Ain and Saudi Arabia's Al Ittihad and become kings of Asia.

Split into seven groups, the final 28 teams come from Asia's 14 highest-ranked footballing countries. Reigning champions Al Ittihad will join the lucky seven group winners in the first knockout round beginning 26 October when they go head-to-head for a trip to Tokyo.

Group A: Iran's Pas look to set the tone
Group A features four powerhouses from West Asia - Al Rayyan (Qatar) , Al Salmiya (Kuwait), Police (Iraq) and Pas (Iran). Three of the four participants are tournament debutants while Iraq giants Police disappointed last year losing their opening three group matches.

Iran Pro League reigning champions Pas kick off their first-ever ACL on 9 March against Al Rayyan, who are well placed in the current Qatar League standings. Despite disappointing this season, Pas, with Iran international Arash Borhani upfront and veteran Khodadad Azizi marshalling the midfield, look the team to beat in this group.

Four-time Kuwait league champions Al Salmiya entertain Police first up. Under former Borussia Dortmund and St. Pauli coach, Uli Maslo, the Kuwaiti representatives will be looking to make waves in their first ACL with their hopes resting heavily on the presence of international Mohammed Al Buraiki. Meanwhile, Police, who must play "home" matches in Jordan, are likely to be the group's weakest side due to the effects of Iraq's unstable political situation.

Group B: Al Ain on the way back
After their heroic performances in the inaugural ACL in 2003 under French coach Bruno Metsu, Al Ain's form dipped last season and they were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Chonbuk Motors of Korea Republic 5-1 on aggregate. But they recovered some lost pride at the end of 2004 and now, under newly appointed coach Milan Macala, the former ACL champions are looking to emulate their feats of two years ago.

Riyadh giants Al Shabab will pose a major threat to Al Ain. The defending Saudi Arabia league champions are again high up the current standings. Iranian powerhouse Sepahan have had a disappointing season but should not be overlooked, while the same could be said of Syrian champions Al Wahda.

Group C: UAE's Al Ahli count on Karimi
With AFC Player of the Year of 2004 Ali Karimi spearheading their offence and former Cameroon coach Winfried Schäfer now in charge, UAE President's Cup holders Al Ahli appear to be formidable opposition for the group's other three contenders - Al Kuwait of Kuwait, Al Sadd of Qatar and Neftchi of Uzbekistan. Neftchi, who have never finished lower than second since the inception of the Uzbekistan Oliy Liga in 1992, could be the biggest threat under coach Yuriy Sarkisyan. Al Kuwait have begun the current campaign well, which cannot be said of Al Sadd, led by Serbian Bora Milutinovic, who have picked up less than half a dozen victories this term. With Al Ahli also in poor form, this group could be much closer than many people think.

Group D: Pakhtakor look to conquer Asia
Saudi Arabia giants Al Ahli may be the fans' favourite, but Uzbekistan Oliy Liga holders Pakhtakor, who reached the semi-finals in the ACL in 2003, look the ones to beat after clinching their third consecutive league title. The Central Asian club's bid is further boosted by the return of Uzbekistan international forward Alexander Geynrikh - on loan from CSKA Moscow.

Making up the quartet are Al Jaish, the Syrian army side and tournament debutants, and Iraq's Al Zawraa, who like Police Club, will play home matches on foreign soil - Damascus, Syria.

Group E: Suwon to recapture old glories
Although debuting, Seoul giants Suwon Bluewings possess a fine pedigree in national and regional competitions. Under legendary Korean forward Cha Bum-Keun, the Blues claimed the K-League title for the third time last December. Back in 2000, Suwon won the Asian Club Championship and then the Super Cup the following year. With 2002 FIFA World Cup hero Lee Woon-Jae between the posts, Suwon's success is built on their watertight defence. They have recently added to their ranks World Cup heroes Kim Nam-Il and Song Chong-Guk from Feyenoord and will take some beating in this competition.

Jubilo Iwata could be just the side to do that. Led by former Japan Olympic coach Masakuni Yamamoto, the three-time J-League champions have a mighty strong squad including goalkeeper Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi, defender Takayuki Chano and promising midfielder Shinji Murai.

Chinese Super League champions Shenzhen Jianlibao have lofty ambitions too. However, Shenzhen, who disappointed in the recent A3 Tournament, may have been weakened by the departures of influential midfielder Zheng Zhi and coach Zhu Guanhu.

Defending Vietnam V-League champions Hoang Anh Gia Lai complete the group with the tough ask to snatch something from their East Asian rivals.

Group F: Yokohama gear up
Under former Japan boss Takeshi Okada, J-League champions Yokohama Marinos have their sights set on the title itself and a chance to rub shoulders with the world's best on home soil at this December's FIFA Club World Championship.

China FA Cup holders Shandong Luneng will be standing in their path. Last season's Super League runners-up have been reinforced by the arrival of China international midfielder Zheng Zhi.

Thailand's BEC Tero Sasana played in the final of the inaugural edition of the competition two years ago, but with the departure of Thailand captain Therdsak Chaiman and 2003 MVP their hopes appear to have been dealt a blow. They have struggled in the Thai League this season, scoring just two goals in their past five matches.

Spearheaded by Cameroon striker Marc Orland and Indonesia winger Ortisan Solossa, Indonesia's PSM Makassar are the group's underdogs.

Group G: Busan, Thai Bank teams to check out
Korea Republic FA Cup holders and four-time K-league champions Busan I'park are heavily favoured in this group. Under Scotsman Ian Porterfield, Busan's attacking power has been bolstered by Brazilian import Ferreira de Popo Souza and Cameroonian Felix Nzeina. Champions of Thailand Krung Thai Bank and Indonesia Persebaya Surabaya, who include South American duo Danilo Fernando and Chilean Leonardo Souza, will be hot on their heels with Vietnam Cup holders Binh Dinh completing the quartet.
Between March and November, there will be ups and downs, thrills and spills, but ultimately only one of these teams will get the chance to compete in another competition - the FIFA Club World Championship - a month after the final in December.

[Mussav]

Al Zawra (Iraq) 1-2 Al Ahli (Saudi Arabia)

Goals:
8: Tayseer Al-Jasem (Al Ahli)
25: Ahmed Abdul Jabbar (Al Zawra) ( PK )
30: Majed Abu-yabis (Al Ahli)

Cards:
Al Zawra 0
Al Ahli:4 Yellow Cards

Play:
Al Zawra: 65%
Al Ahli: 35%

Some Points:
1- Al Ahli First Goal was Offside and the Assistance referee ignore that
2- The Referee Cancelled a Goal for Al Zawra for no reason or maybe stupid
3- Al Ahli Played with 8 Defenders
4- Al Zawra play better than Al Ahli, Al Zawra did every thing except the Result
5- A lot of Yellow Cards for Al Ahli
6- If Al Zawra didn’t won this match at least the deserve a draw

[Mussav]

Al Zawra (Iraq) 1-2 Al Ahli (Saudi Arabia)

TRIPOLI, LEBANON - Saudi Arabia giants Al Ahli got their AFC Champions League campaign off to a winning start with a 2-1 victory over Al Zawra’a of Iraq in their Group D game in Tripoli Municipality Stadium on Tuesday.
Al Ahli opened the scoring in the game after only seven minutes when their Brazilian imported striker Rogerio's powerful strike was blocked by Al Zawra’a goalkeeper Ahmed Ali but the ball fell to Taiseer Al Jassam who slotted home from close range.

Al Zawra’a hitr back back in the 25th minute when Wissam Zaki was fouled in the Al Ahli box. Striker Ahmed Abduljabar duly converted the penalty to put his side back on terms.

But parity did not last long and Al Ahli regained the lead in the 31st minute when Majed Abuyabis saw Ali off his line and lobbed the ball into the net from an acute angle.
In the second period, Al Zawra’a were the better side and they laid siege on the Al Ahli penalty box but they could not find another equaliser.

Their best chance came in the the 75th minute when striker Abbas Hassan was denied from close range by a great save from Al Ahli goalkeeper Tayseer Al Neteif.

Four minutes later, Al Zawra’a substitute striker Omar Waleed thought that he given his side the second goal but the Lebanese referee of the game saw an infringment.

With only six minutes left on the clock, Al Ahli imported Brazilian striker Rogerio could have scored the third goal for his side but his looping header slammed the woodwork.
Al Zawra’a coach Bassem Kassem fielded three strikers in a late attempt to get a share of the spoils. However, Al Ahli defence had the upper hand and successfully finished the game with a 2-1 victory.

Al Ahli coach Geninho expressed his delight with the victory at the press conference of the game.

“It was a difficult game and the Iraqis showed that they are a good team,” said the Brazilian.
“Al Ahli played a good game and we took advantage of the chances and won the game at the end.”

As for the Iraqi coach, Kassem explained that Al Ahli won the game because the prepared more and they had better physical advantage.

“Our players played a good game and we should have got a draw since we had the upper hand in the most of the game especially in the second half,” he added.

The two other team in Group D - AL Jaish of Syria and Pakhtakor meet in Damascus on Wednesday night.

[Mussav]

Round 1 Results so far

West
Al Zawra (Iraq) 1-2 Al Ahli (Saudi Arabia)
Neftchi (Uzbakistan) 1-0 Al Kuwait (Kuwait)

East
Shenzhen (China) 1-0 Jubilo Iwata (Japan)
Persebaya (Indonesia) 1 - 2 Krung Thai (Thailand)
Hoang Anh GL (Vietnam) 1 - 5 Suwon B'wings (South Korea)
BEC Tero (Thailand) 0 - 1 PSM Makassar (Indonesia)
Y'hama Marinos (Japan) 0 - 1 Shandong (China)
Busan I'Park (South Korea) 8 - 0 Binh Dinh (Vietnam)