2002–03 AFC Champions League
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 13 August – 27 November 2002 (qualifying rounds) 9 March – 11 October 2003 (group & final stages) |
| Teams | 16 (group stage) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Al-Ain (1st title) |
| Runners-up | BEC Tero Sasana |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 30 |
| Goals scored | 104 (3.47 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Hao Haidong (9 goals) |
| Best player | Therdsak Chaiman |
← 2001–02 (Asian Club Championship) 2004 → | |
The 2002–03 AFC Champions League was the twenty-second edition of Asia's premier football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation, and the first edition under the AFC Champions League title.
Sixteen teams competed in this edition as they went through qualifying before going into four groups of four with only the winner of the group qualifying to the knockout-stage which went to two-legs instead of the single leg that the previous year competition had.
Teams
Qualification Round
First qualifying round
| Team 1 | Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Region | ||||
| Al-Wehdat | 3–2 | Al Nejmeh | 3–2 | 0–0 |
| Al Ansar | w/o[a] | Al Nasr | —[a] | —[a] |
| Al Aqsa | w/o[b] | Zhashtyk | —[b] | —[b] |
| Busaiteen | Bye | N/A | — | — |
| Al Kuwait | Bye | N/A | — | — |
| Köpetdag Aşgabat | Bye | N/A | — | — |
| Riffa | Bye | N/A | — | — |
| Al Ittihad | Bye | N/A | — | — |
Notes:
Second qualifying round
| Team 1 | Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Region | ||||
| Al-Ansar | 1–3 | Al Faisaly | 1–0 | 0–3 |
| Pakhtakor | 4–3 | Al-Wehdat | 3–0 | 1–3 |
| Al Ahli | 3–3 (a) | Al Kuwait | 2–0 | 1–3 |
| Zhashtyk | 0–4 | Al-Ahli (San'a') | 0–2 | 0–2 |
| Köpetdag Aşgabat | w/o[a] | Al Sadd | —[a] | —[a] |
| Busaiteen | w/o[b] | Al-Jaish | —[b] | —[b] |
| Al-Quds | w/o[b] | Riffa | —[b] | —[b] |
| Al-Ittihad | w/o[c] | Khujand | —[c] | —[c] |
| East Region | ||||
| Saunders SC | 1–7 | Mohun Bagan | 0–2 | 1–5 |
| Air Force | 2–3 | New Radiant | 1–1 | 1–2 (a.e.t.) |
| Monte Carlo | Bye | N/A | — | — |
| DPMM | Bye | N/A | — | — |
| Persita Tangerang | Bye | N/A | — | — |
| Petrokimia Putra | Bye | N/A | — | — |
| Churchill Brothers | Bye | N/A | — | — |
| Home United | Bye | N/A | — | — |
Notes:
Third qualifying round
| Team 1 | Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Region | ||||
| Al Ittihad | 1–5 | Al Arabi | 1–1 | 0–4 |
| Al Sadd | 3–2 | Al Zawraa | 1–1 | 2–1 (a.e.t.) |
| Esteghlal | 3–0 | Al Faisaly | 2–0 | 1–0 |
| Al Ahli | 5–4 | Al-Ahli | 3–2 | 2–2 |
| Al-Ahli (San'a') | 1–8 | FK Neftchy Farg'ona | 1–2 | 0–6 |
| Al-Ittihad | 4–6 | Pakhtakor | 4–3 | 0–3 |
| Al-Jaish | w/o[a] | Regar-TadAZ | —[a] | —[a] |
| Al-Quds | w/o[b] | Nisa Aşgabat | —[b] | —[b] |
| East Region | ||||
| Geylang United FC | 7–0 | DPMM | 3–0 | 4–0 |
| Petrokimia Putra | 4–6 | Shanghai Shenhua | 3–1 | 1–5 |
| South China | 3–2 | Home United FC | 2–1 | 1–1 |
| Persita Tangerang | 0–1 | Osotsapa FC | 0–1 | 0–0 |
| Monte Carlo | 1–8 | Daejeon Citizen | 1–5 | 0–3 |
| Shimizu S-Pulse | 7–0 | New Radiant | 7–0 | 0–0 |
| Mohun Bagan | 5–2 | Club Valencia | 2–2 | 3–0 |
| Churchill Brothers | 2–1 | Saigon Port | 2–0 | 0–1 |
Notes:
- ^ a b c Regar-TadAZ was disqualified following the suspension of the Tajikistan Football Federation by FIFA and the AFC.
- ^ a b c Al-Quds withdrew due to the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Fourth qualifying round
| Team 1 | Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Region | ||||
| Al-Jaish | 2–2 (1–4 p) | Al Sadd | 1–1 | 1–1 |
| Nisa Asgabat | w/o[a] | Al Arabi | —[a] | —[a] |
| Pakhtakor | 4–2 | Al Ahli | 3–2 | 1–0 |
| Esteghlal | 2–2 (a) | FK Neftchy Farg'ona | 1–0 | 1–2 |
| East Region | ||||
| Churchill Brothers | 4–7 | Osotsapa FC | 1–1 | 3–6 |
| South China | 1–8 | Shimizu S-Pulse | 0–5 | 1–3 |
| Shanghai Shenhua | 5–1 | Geylang United FC | 3–0 | 2–1 |
| Daejeon Citizen | 8–1 | Mohun Bagan | 6–0 | 2–1 |
Notes:
Group stage
Tehran
Location of the 2002–03 AFC Champions League group stage teams
Brown: Group A; Cyan: Group B; Orange: Group C; Yellow: Group D;
Brown: Group A; Cyan: Group B; Orange: Group C; Yellow: Group D;
Group A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BEC Tero Sasana (H) | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 7 | Advance to Knockout stage |
| 2 | Daejeon Citizen | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 | |
| 3 | Shanghai Shenhua | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 7 | −1 | 3 | |
| 4 | Kashima Antlers | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 7 | −2 | 1 |
Source:
(H) Hosts
(H) Hosts
| Shanghai Shenhua | 1–2 | Daejeon Citizen |
|---|---|---|
| Luo Xiao 85' | (Report) | Han Jung-kook 8' Kim Eun-jung 44' |
| Kashima Antlers | 2–2 | BEC Tero Sasana |
|---|---|---|
| Hirase 21' Fernando 77' |
(Report) | Yongant 76', 90' |
| Kashima Antlers | 3–4 | Shanghai Shenhua |
|---|---|---|
| Aoki 24' Fernando 56' Nozawa 90' |
(Report) | Yang Guang 1' Zhang Yuning 11' Martínez 31', 87' |
| Daejeon Citizen | 0–2 | BEC Tero Sasana |
|---|---|---|
| (Report) | Kongpraphan 14' Chaiman 73' |
| BEC Tero Sasana | 2–1 | Shanghai Shenhua |
|---|---|---|
| Thongsukh 27' Chaiman 85' |
(Report) | Martínez 58' |
| Daejeon Citizen | 1–0 | Kashima Antlers |
|---|---|---|
| Papa Oumar 87' | (Report) |
Group B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dalian Shide (H) | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 2 | +8 | 7 | Advance to Knockout stage |
| 2 | Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 4 | +5 | 6 | |
| 3 | Shimizu S-Pulse | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 2 | +6 | 4 | |
| 4 | Osotsapa FC | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 20 | −19 | 0 |
Source:
(H) Hosts
(H) Hosts
| Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma | 6–0 | Osotsapa FC |
|---|---|---|
| Park Nam-yeol 22' Kim Dae-eui 31' Kim Do-hoon 37', 61', 83' Drakulić 53' |
(Report) |
| Shimizu S-Pulse | 1–2 | Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma |
|---|---|---|
| Ahn Jung-hwan 53' | (Report) | Drakulić 74' Kim Dae-eui 87' |
| Osotsapa FC | 1–7 | Dalian Shide |
|---|---|---|
| Jankam 13' | (Report) | Hao Haidong 27', 32', 49', 61' Yan Song 60' Zou Jie 80' Dong Fangzhuo 82' |
| Dalian Shide | 3–1 | Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma |
|---|---|---|
| Hao Haidong 57', 64' Yan Song 90' |
(Report) | Kim Dae-eui 51' |
| Osotsapa FC | 0–7 | Shimizu S-Pulse |
|---|---|---|
| (Report) | Takagi 23', 40' Sawanobori 27' Alex 50' Ahn Jung-hwan 60', 71' Kitajima 75' |
Group C
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Al-Ain (H) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | +5 | 9 | Advance to Knockout stage |
| 2 | Al Sadd | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 3 | |
| 3 | Esteghlal | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 7 | −2 | 3 | |
| 4 | Al-Hilal | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | −2 | 3 |
Source:
(H) Hosts
(H) Hosts
| Esteghlal | 2–3 | Al-Hilal |
|---|---|---|
| Khatibi 18' Samereh 42' |
(Report) | Abedzadeh 34' (o.g.) Ricardo 42' Abdullah 82' |
| Al-Hilal | 1–3 | Al Sadd |
|---|---|---|
| Jumaan 57' | (Report) | Keita 45' Sergio Ricardo 80' Kamil 90' |
Group D
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pakhtakor (H) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | +7 | 9 | Advance to Knockout stage |
| 2 | Persepolis | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 6 | |
| 3 | Al-Talaba | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 3 | |
| 4 | Nisa Asgabat | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 10 | −9 | 0 |
Source:
(H) Hosts
(H) Hosts
| Nisa Asgabat | 0–3 | Pakhtakor |
|---|---|---|
| (Report) | Hamidullaev 44' Soliev 57' Koshelev 72' |
| Al-Talaba | 0–1 | Persepolis |
|---|---|---|
| (Report) | Golmohammadi 62' |
| Al-Talaba | 3–0 | Nisa Asgabat |
|---|---|---|
| Abdulsada 10' Mahmoud 24', 90' |
(Report) |
| Pakhtakor | 1–0 | Persepolis |
|---|---|---|
| Soliev 22' | (Report) |
| Persepolis | 4–1 | Nisa Asgabat |
|---|---|---|
| Khanmohammadi 14', 76' Golmohammadi 47' Aslanian 90' |
(Report) | Meredov 89' (pen.) |
| Pakhtakor | 3–0 | Al-Talaba |
|---|---|---|
| Krokhmal 25', 57' Goçgulyýew 37' |
(Report) |
Knockout stage
Bracket
| Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||||
| Al-Ain | 4 | 3 | 7 | ||||||||
| Dalian Shide | 2 | 4 | 6 | ||||||||
| Al-Ain | 2 | 0 | 2 | ||||||||
| BEC Tero Sasana | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| BEC Tero Sasana | 3 | 0 | 3 | ||||||||
| Pakhtakor | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||
Semi-finals
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BEC Tero Sasana | 3–2 | Pakhtakor | 3–1 | 0–1 |
| Al-Ain | 7–6 | Dalian Shide | 4–2 | 3–4 |
Matches
| BEC Tero Sasana | 3–1 | Pakhtakor |
|---|---|---|
| Srimaka 41' Fuangprakob 69' Chaiman 84' |
(Report) | Soliev 80' |
| Pakhtakor | 1–0 | BEC Tero Sasana |
|---|---|---|
| Djeperov 86' | (Report) |
BEC Tero Sasana won 3–2 on aggregate.
| Al-Ain | 4–2 | Dalian Shide |
|---|---|---|
| Sanogo 62' (pen.), 83' Omar 64' Yaslam 75' |
(Report) | Hao Haidong 17' Li Yao 88' |
| Dalian Shide | 4–3 | Al-Ain |
|---|---|---|
| Wang Peng 27' Janković 77' Hao Haidong 81', 84' |
(Report) | Rodrigo Fabiano 46' Omar 65' Majidi 87' |
Al-Ain won 7–6 on aggregate.
Final
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Al-Ain | 2–1 | BEC Tero Sasana | 2–0 | 0–1 |
Matches
| Al-Ain | 2–0 | BEC Tero Sasana |
|---|---|---|
| Jowhar 38' Omar 74' |
| BEC Tero Sasana | 1–0 | Al-Ain |
|---|---|---|
| Chaiman 60' (pen.) |
Al-Ain won 2–1 on aggregate.
Top scorers
Notes
- ^ The Dailan Shide v Al-Ain match, originally scheduled to be played on 23 April 2003, was postponed due to SARS outbreak in China.