2008 AFC Cup
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 11 March–7 November 2008 |
| Teams | 20 (from 10 associations) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Al-Muharraq (1st title) |
| Runners-up | Safa |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 74 |
| Goals scored | 235 (3.18 per match) |
| Top scorer | Rico (19 goals) |
| Best player | Mahmood Abdulrahman |
← 2007 2009 → | |
The 2008 AFC Cup was the fifth edition of the AFC Cup, played amongst clubs from nations of the AFC, who are considered to be 'developing countries' as per the 'Vision Asia' members paper of AFC President Mohamed Bin Hammam.
Al-Muharraq defeated Safa 10–5 on aggregate in the final, with Brazilian striker Rico scoring six of the clubs ten goals over the two legs. This marked the first time a club from Bahrain won an AFC Club competition. Both finalists initially qualified for the qualifying play-off round in the 2009 AFC Champions League, but were later demoted to the 2009 AFC Cup as neither clubs leagues met the AFC's Champions League criteria.
Shabab Al-Ordon were the defending champions, but were eliminated in the group stage of the competition.
Qualified teams
The league champions and cup winners from the thirteen 'developing' (as determined by the AFC) were eligible to participate in the competition. As Indonesian clubs withdrew from the 2008 AFC Champions League, the following changes were made:
- The second ranked teams from Thailand (Krung Thai Bank) and Vietnam (Nam Định) were reassigned from the AFC Cup to the AFC Champions League.
- Turkmenistan were excluded from the competition, as its clubs would now participate in the AFC President's Cup.
- Clubs from India would participate in the West Asian zone.
Notes
- ^ Hong Kong (HKG): As the 2006–07 Hong Kong Senior Shield winners South China qualified for the AFC Cup via their league position, the spot reserved for the Hong Kong Senior Shield winners was transferred to the second placed team in the 2006–07 Hong Kong First Division League.
- ^ Lebanon (LBN): As the 2006–07 Lebanese FA Cup winners Al-Ansar qualified for the AFC Cup via their league position, the spot reserved for the Lebanese FA Cup winners was transferred to the second placed team in the 2006–07 Lebanese Premier League.
- ^ Malaysia (MAS): As the 2007 Malaysia FA Cup winners Keda qualified for the AFC Cup via their league position, the spot reserved for the Malaysia FA Cup winners was transferred to the second placed team in the 2006–07 Malaysia Super League.
- ^ Singapore (SGP): As the 2007 Singapore Cup winners Singapore Armed Forces qualified for the AFC Cup via their league position, the spot reserved for the Singapore Cup winners was transferred to the second placed team in the 2007 S.League.
Schedule
| Stage | Round | Draw date | First leg | Second leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group stage | Matchday 1 | 17 October 2007 | 11 March 2008 | |
| Matchday 2 | 18 March 2008 | |||
| Matchday 3 | 3 April 2008 | |||
| Matchday 4 | 16 April 2008 | |||
| Matchday 5 | 30 April 2008 | |||
| Matchday 6 | 14–21 May 2008 | |||
| Knockout stage | Quarter-finals | 24 May 2008[1] | 16 September 2008 | 23 September 2008 |
| Semi-finals | 7 October 2008 | 21 October 2008 | ||
| Final | 31 October 2008 | 7 November 2008 | ||
Group stage
Group A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Al-Muharraq | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 14 | 7 | +7 | 11 | Advance to Knockout stage |
| 2 | Dempo | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 12 | +1 | 10 | |
| 3 | Al-Ansar | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 8 | −2 | 8 | |
| 4 | Sur | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 15 | −6 | 4 |
| Sur | 2–2 | Al-Muharraq |
|---|---|---|
| José 48', 62' | (Report) (Report) |
Rico 45+1' Okwunwanne 55' |
| Al-Muharraq | 4–1 | Al-Ansar |
|---|---|---|
| Abdulrahman 30' Rico 51', 66' Okwunwanne 57' |
(Report) | Hassoun 44' |
Group B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Safa | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 6 | +2 | 10 | Advance to Knockout stage |
| 2 | Al-Wahdat | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 12 | 12 | 0 | 7 | |
| 3 | East Bengal | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 6 | −1 | 7 | |
| 4 | Al-Ahli San‘a’ | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 6 |
| Safa | 1–0 | East Bengal |
|---|---|---|
| Mbassi 17' | (Report) (Report) |
| Al-Wahdat | 3–3 | Safa |
|---|---|---|
| Shelbaieh 51' Fattah 86' Fat'hi 90+5' |
(Report) (Report) |
Prince Bobby 16' Dayoub 31' Azar 83' |
| Al-Wahdat | 0–2 | East Bengal |
|---|---|---|
| (Report) (Report) |
D'Cunha 58' Ibe 69' |
| East Bengal | 2–4 | Al-Wahdat |
|---|---|---|
| Nabi 12' Edmilson 28' |
(Report) (Report) |
Ra'fat Ali 6', 24' Fattah 31', 34' |
| Safa | 1–0 | Al-Ahli San‘a’ |
|---|---|---|
| Abboud 64' | (Report) (Report) |
| Al-Wahdat | 1–1 | Al-Ahli San‘a’ |
|---|---|---|
| Fattah 30' | (Report) | Al-Nono 80' |
| East Bengal | 0–0 | Safa |
|---|---|---|
| (Report) |
| Al-Ahli San‘a’ | 1 –0 | East Bengal |
|---|---|---|
| Al-Nono 43' | (Report) |
Group C
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Al-Nahda | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 8 | +1 | 9 | Advance to Knockout stage |
| 2 | Shabab Al-Ordon | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | |
| 3 | Al-Najma | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | |
| 4 | Al-Sha'ab Hadramaut | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 8 | −1 | 6 |
| Shabab Al-Ordon | 1–1 | Al-Sha'ab Hadramaut |
|---|---|---|
| Al-Saify 51' | (Report) (Report) |
Mahadi 38' |
| Al-Sha'ab Hadramaut | 3–1 | Al-Nahda |
|---|---|---|
| Ba-Haj 44', 45+1' Al-Nohi 51' |
(Report) (Report) |
Yedibahoma 52' |
| Al-Najma | 2–1 | Al-Sha'ab Hadramaut |
|---|---|---|
| Salem 8' Ba-Karman 54' (o.g.) |
(Report) (Report) |
Aly 67' |
| Al-Nahda | 1–1 | Shabab Al-Ordon |
|---|---|---|
| Al-Shamsi 26' | (Report) (Report) |
Shehdeh 70' |
| Al-Najma | 3–3 | Al-Nahda |
|---|---|---|
| Salem 53', 67', 77' | (Report) (Report) |
Yedibahoma 6', 50' Al-Alawi 38' |
| Al-Sha'ab Hadramaut | 2–2 | Shabab Al-Ordon |
|---|---|---|
| Al-Arumi 5' Mahadi 88' (pen.) |
(Report) (Report) |
Shehdeh 3' Maharmeh 45' |
| Shabab Al-Ordon | 3–2 | Al-Najma |
|---|---|---|
| Al-Saify 9' Shehdeh 28' Touk 40' (pen.) |
(Report) (Report) |
Salem 51' (pen.) 69' |
Group D
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Home United | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 18 | 10 | +8 | 15 | Advance to Knockout stage |
| 2 | Kedah | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 8 | +5 | 13 | |
| 3 | South China | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 13 | −6 | 4 | |
| 4 | Victory | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 10 | −7 | 2 |
| South China | 2–3 | Home United |
|---|---|---|
| Cheng Siu Wai 60', 90' | (AFC Report) (AFC Report) (HKFA Report) |
Oliveira 17', 40' Shi 77' |
| Home United | 5–1 | Kedah |
|---|---|---|
| Ludovick 31', 58' Shahril 36' Oliveira 70', 81' (pen.) |
(Report) (Report) |
Shafiq 12' |
| South China | 1–3 | Kedah |
|---|---|---|
| Cris 59' | (AFC Report) (AFC Report) (HKFA Report) |
Bakhtiar 31' James 65' Samransak 85' |
| Kedah | 3–0 | South China |
|---|---|---|
| James 55' San Martín 70', 85' |
(Report) (Report) |
| Home United | 4–1 | South China |
|---|---|---|
| Ishak 30', 88' Indra 75' Farook 87' |
(Report) (Report) |
Cheng Siu Wai 80' |
| Kedah | 4–1 | Home United |
|---|---|---|
| San Martín 41', 59' (pen.) Sabree 46' James 83' |
(Report) (Report) |
Ludovick 5' |
Group E
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Singapore Armed Forces | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 4 | +12 | 13 | Advance to Knockout stage |
| 2 | Perak | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 10 | +3 | 13 | |
| 3 | Kitchee | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 12 | −6 | 4 | |
| 4 | New Radiant | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 13 | −9 | 4 |
| Perak | 1–6 | Singapore Armed Forces |
|---|---|---|
| Berrios 45+2' (pen.) | (Report) (Report) |
Chaiman 8' Duric 45', 49', 71', 74' Manzur 58' |
| New Radiant | 0–3 | Singapore Armed Forces |
|---|---|---|
| (Report) (Report) |
Shariff 7' Duric 44' Hamid 86' (o.g.) |
| Singapore Armed Forces | 1–1 | New Radiant |
|---|---|---|
| Wilkinson 27' | (Report) (Report) |
Gani 50' |
| New Radiant | 2–1 | Kitchee |
|---|---|---|
| Simaz 62', 66' | (Report) (Report) |
Nishan 45+1' (o.g.) |
Ranking of second-placed teams
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kedah | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 8 | +5 | 13 | Advance to Knockout stage |
| 2 | Perak | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 10 | +3 | 13 | |
| 3 | Dempo | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 12 | +1 | 10 | |
| 4 | Al-Wahdat | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 12 | 12 | 0 | 7 | |
| 5 | Shabab Al-Ordon | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
Knockout stage
Bracket
| Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | |||||||||||||||
| Al-Muharraq | 5 | 2 | 7 | ||||||||||||||
| Kedah | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||
| Al-Muharraq (a) | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||||||||||||||
| Al-Nahda | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||||
| Singapore Armed Forces | 2 | 0 | 2 | ||||||||||||||
| Al-Nahda | 1 | 3 | 4 | ||||||||||||||
| Al-Muharraq | 5 | 5 | 10 | ||||||||||||||
| Safa | 1 | 4 | 5 | ||||||||||||||
| Perak | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| Safa | 2 | 5 | 7 | ||||||||||||||
| Safa | 1 | 4 | 5 | ||||||||||||||
| Dempo | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||
| Dempo | 1 | 4 | 5 | ||||||||||||||
| Home United | 1 | 3 | 4 | ||||||||||||||
Quarter-finals
The first legs were played on 16 September, and the second legs were played on 23 September 2008.
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perak | 0–7 | Safa | 0–2 | 0–5 |
| Singapore Armed Forces | 2–4 | Al-Nahda | 2-1 | 0-3 |
| Dempo | 5–4 | Home United | 1–1 | 4–3 |
| Al-Muharraq | 7–1 | Kedah | 5–0 | 2–1 |
Matches
Safa won 7–0 on aggregate.
| Singapore Armed Forces | 2–1 | Al-Nahda |
|---|---|---|
| Duric 41', 66' | Report | Yedibahoma 85' |
| Al-Nahda | 3–0 | Singapore Armed Forces |
|---|---|---|
| Al-Nuaimi 28' Yedibahoma 63', 90' |
Report |
Al-Nahda won 4–2 on aggregate.
| Dempo | 1–1 | Home United |
|---|---|---|
| Iyomi 78' | Report | Sulaiman 37' |
| Home United | 3–4 | Dempo |
|---|---|---|
| Oliviera 13' Sahdan 36', 38' |
Report | Iyomi 1' Beto 23', 83' Lawrence 45' |
Dempo won 5–4 on aggregate.
| Al-Muharraq | 5–0 | Kedah |
|---|---|---|
| Salmeen 65' Abdulrahman 73', 90+2' Rico 85' Al-Hardan 87' |
Report |
Al-Muharraq won 7–1 on aggregate.
Semi-finals
The first legs were played on 7 October, and the second legs were played on 21 October 2008.
| Team 1 | Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Al-Muharraq | 2–2 (a) | Al-Nahda | 0–1 | 2–1 |
| Safa | 5–1 | Dempo | 1–0 | 4–1 |
Matches
| Al-Muharraq | 0–1 | Al-Nahda |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Al-Alawi 9' |
| Al-Nahda | 1–2 | Al-Muharraq |
|---|---|---|
| Al-Farazi 70' | Report | Rico 38' Abdulrahman 63' |
2–2 on aggregate. Al-Muharraq won on away goals.
Safa won 5–1 on aggregate.
Final
The first and second legs of the final were played on 31 October and 7 November 2008, respectively.
| Team 1 | Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Al-Muharraq | 10–5 | Safa | 5–1 | 5–4 |
Matches
| Al-Muharraq | 5–1 | Safa |
|---|---|---|
| Abdulrahman 19', 58' Rico 32' (pen.), 54', 72' |
(Report) | Tahan 77' |
| Safa | 4–5 | Al-Muharraq |
|---|---|---|
| Al Saadi 15' Azar 59' Kassas 61', 65' (pen.) |
(Report) | Rico 33', 50', 51' Abdulrahman 45+1', 82' |
Al-Muharraq won 10–5 on aggregate.
Statistics
Top goalscorers
| Rank | Scorer | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rico | Al-Muharraq | 19 |
| 2 | Aleksander Duric | Singapore Armed Forces | 9 |
| 3 | Ranty Martins Soleye | Dempo | 8 |
| 4 | Mahmood Abdulrahman | Al-Muharraq | 7 |
| Peres de Oliveira | Home United | ||
| 5 | Libambami Yedibahoma | Al-Nahda | 6 |
| Rony Azar | Safa | ||
| Mohammad Kassas | Safa | ||
| Rashed Jamal Salem | Al-Najma | ||
| 6 | Shahril Ishak | Home United | 5 |
| Indra Sahdan Daud | Home United | ||
| Hassan Abdel Fattah | Al-Wahdat | ||
| Hussein Tahan | Safa |
See also
References
- ^ "ACL, AFC CUP KNOCKOUT STAGE DRAW ON 24 MAY". AFF - The Official Website Of The Asean Football Federation. 12 May 2008. Retrieved 24 September 2025.
External links
- 2008 AFC Cup at the-afc.com
- AFC Calendar of Competitions 2008