The 2019 AFC Cup Final was the final match of the 2019 AFC Cup, the 16th edition of the AFC Cup, Asia's secondary club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).[2]
| Event | 2019 AFC Cup | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| Date | 4 November 2019 | ||||||
| Venue | Kuala Lumpur Stadium, Kuala Lumpur | ||||||
| Man of the Match | Issah Yakubu (Al-Ahed)[1] | ||||||
| Referee | Hettikamkanamge Perera (Sri Lanka)[1] | ||||||
| Attendance | 500[1] | ||||||
| Weather | Mostly clear 27 °C (81 °F)[1] | ||||||
The final was contested as a single match between April 25 from North Korea and Al-Ahed from Lebanon. The match was played at the Kuala Lumpur Stadium in Kuala Lumpur on 4 November 2019.
Al-Ahed won 1–0 by a goal from Ghanaian player Issah Yakubu. This was Al-Ahed's first continental title, as well as the first for a Lebanese team.[3] April 25 became the first North Korean men's football club to qualify for an Asian final,[4] while Al-Ahed were the third Lebanese side to do so (after Nejmeh in 2005 and Safa in 2008).[3]
Teams edit
| Team | Zone | Previous finals appearances (bold indicates winners) |
|---|---|---|
 April 25
|
East Asia Zone (EAFF) (Inter-zone play-off winner) |
None |
 Al-Ahed
|
West Asia Zone (WAFF) | None |
Venue edit
The match was originally to be hosted by April 25 at the Kim Il-sung Stadium in Pyongyang, North Korea on 2 November 2019. However, on 22 October 2019, due to North Korea's decision to ban television transmission of football games, the AFC announced that the final would be held in Shanghai, China in order for the match to be transmitted.[5][6] On 25 October 2019, the match was rescheduled from 2 November to 4 November and the host city was shifted from Shanghai to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.[7]
Road to the final edit
Note: In all results below, the score of the finalist is given first (H: home; A: away).
| April 25
|
Round | Al-Ahed
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opponent | Result | Group stage | Opponent | Result | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Hang Yuen
|
3–0 (A) | Matchday 1 |  Al-Qadsia
|
0–0 (H) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Kitchee
|
2–0 (H) | Matchday 2 |  Malkiya
|
0–0 (A) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tai Po
|
3–1 (A) | Matchday 3 |  Al-Suwaiq
|
4–2 (H) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tai Po
|
4–0 (H) | Matchday 4 | Al-Suwaiq
|
1–0 (A) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hang Yuen
|
5–0 (H) | Matchday 5 | Al-Qadsia
|
1–0 (A) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kitchee
|
0–1 (A) | Matchday 6 | Malkiya
|
2–1 (H) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Group I winners
Source: AFC
|
Final standings | Group C winners
Source: AFC
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opponent | Agg. | 1st leg | 2nd leg | Knockout stage | Opponent | Agg. | 1st leg | 2nd leg | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| — | Zonal semi-finals |  Al-Wehdat
|
1–0 | 1–0 (A) | 0–0 (H) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Zonal finals | Al-Jazeera
|
1–0 | 0–0 (A) | 1–0 (H) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Abahani Limited Dhaka
|
5–4 | 3–4 (A) | 2–0 (H) | Inter-zone play-off semi-finals | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Hà Nội
|
2–2 (a) | 2–2 (A) | 0–0 (H) | Inter-zone play-off final | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Format edit
The final was played as a single match, with the host team (winners of the Inter-zone play-off final) alternated from the previous season's final.
Should it tied after regulation time, extra time and, if necessary, penalty shoot-out would have been used to decide the winning team.[2]
Match edit
Details edit
| April 25 | 0–1 | Al-Ahed |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
|
          April 25
|
  Al-Ahed
|
|
|
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Man of the Match:
|
Match rules[2]
|
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b c d e f "4.25 SC v Al Ahed FC". the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation. 4 November 2019. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
- ^ a b c "2019 AFC Cup Competition Regulations" (PDF). AFC.
- ^ a b Mahfoud, Maroun (5 November 2019). "Observations from Ahed's AFC Cup triumph". FaLebanon. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
- ^ "North Korea loses hosting soccer match amid TV concerns". AP NEWS. 22 October 2019. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
- ^ "نهائي كأس الاتحاد الآسيوي في الصين". lebanonfg.com (in Arabic). 17 October 2019. Archived from the original on 18 October 2019. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
- ^ "AFC Cup 2019 final to be played in Shanghai". AFC. 22 October 2019.
- ^ "AFC Cup 2019 final to be played on November 4 in Kuala Lumpur". AFC. 25 October 2019.
External links edit
- AFC Cup, the-AFC.com
- AFC Cup 2019, stats.the-AFC.com