May 4 – The AFC completed the group stages of its The 2021 Champions League (West) last Friday with a number of last minute surprises that saw some of the region’s biggest clubs miss out on Round of 16 slots in what was an exciting end to group play.
Perhaps the biggest casualties were Qatar’s Al Sadd SC and Al Duhail SC, while the breakout club of the group stages was undoubtedly Tajikistan’s FC Istiklol – making their group stage debut in the ACL – who edged out 2019 winners Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia) to top group A.
Istiklol’s reward will be a last 16 play-off against Iranian giants Persepolis who topped their group in Goa, India. Al Hilal also qualified for the next round to face another of Iran’s giant clubs, Esteghal.
The expanded ACL – four extra teams in each of the West and East zones – has added to the increasing competitiveness of the Asian Football Confederation’s top club competition.
The rise of the central region clubs cannot be understated. FC Istiklol benefited from direct qualification to the group stages as Tajikistan champions and showed they were equal to the challenge. They follow in the central region newcomer path blazed in 2020 by Uzbekistan’s Pakhaktor who made it to the quarter finals before being unseated by eventual finalists Persepolis.
The staging of the five centralised group stages – two groups in Saudi Arabia, one in Qatar, one in the UAE and one in Goa, India – was a major success for AFC’s covid protocols at a time when covid cases were multiplying, particularly in India.
The AFC had further fine-tuned its covid protocols from the 2020 ACL grouped stages and finals, increasing the numbers of tests and reinforcing the team ‘bubbles’. The AFC acknowledged the work and co-operation of host FAs in ensuring the groups completed without incident.
One of the key factors in this was the high level of covid vaccinations in the general populations of the Gulf countries hosting. Even so, the organisation and effort from the AFC and its hosts was described as “extraordinary” by one observer.
The eight teams from the West Zone in the last 16 will now return to action in September. Before then the AFC will complete the grouped stages of its AFC Club (its club competition for nations ranked outside its top tier), followed by the preliminary group stages of its Asian Qualifiers (Qatar 2022 World Cup and Asian Cup 2023), and the East Zone Champions League qualifiers. The calendar has very little breathing space.
West Zone qualifiers see three teams from Iran, two each from Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and one from Tajikistan take up the eight slots. The one-round knock out venues and dates will be announced at a later date.
Last 16 AFC Champions League (West Zone)
Istiklol (TJK) vs Persepolis (Ira)
Sharjah (UAE) vs Al-Whada (UAE)
Esteghal (Ira) vs Al Hilal (KSA)
Al-Nassr (KSA) vs Tractor (Ira)
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