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]

2019 AFC Cup Final
Event2019 AFC Cup
Date4 November 2019 (2019-11-04)
VenueKuala Lumpur Stadium, Kuala Lumpur
Man of the MatchIssah Yakubu (Al-Ahed)[1]
RefereeHettikamkanamge Perera (Sri Lanka)[1]
Attendance500[1]
WeatherMostly clear
27 °C (81 °F)[1]
2018
2021

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

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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

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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

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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
Pos Team Pld Pts
1   April 25 6 15
2   Kitchee 6 10
3   Tai Po 6 8
4   Hang Yuen 6 1
Source: AFC
Final standings Group C winners
Pos Team Pld Pts
1   Al-Ahed 6 14
2   Malkiya 6 8
3   Al-Qadsia 6 7
4   Al-Suwaiq 6 4
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

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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

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Details

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April 25  0–1  Al-Ahed
Live Report
Stats Report
  • Yakubu   74'
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
April 25
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Al-Ahed
GK 23   An Tae-song   26'
RB 6   Kwon Chung-hyok
CB 30   An Song-il I
CB 5   Pak Jin-myong
LB 29   Pak Song-rok
RM 31   Choe Chol-su   28'
CM 15   Won Song
CM 7   O Hyok-chol
LM 14   Son Pyong-il
CF 13   Rim Chol-min (c)   40'
CF 10   An Il-bom
Substitutes:
GK 1   Sin Tae-song   28'
DF 2   Jang Kum-nam
DF 17   An Song-il II   88'
MF 19   Yun Il-gwang
MF 24   Choe Jong-hyok
FW 18   Kim Yu-song   40'   88'
FW 21   Jang Hyok
Manager:
  O Yun-son
 
GK 1   Mehdi Khalil
RB 6   Hussein Zein
CB 4   Nour Mansour
CB 2   Ahmad Al Saleh
LB 8   Hussein Dakik
CM 13   Issah Yakubu
CM 15   Haytham Faour (c)   82'
RW 20   Rabih Ataya   80'
AM 10   Mohamad Haidar
LW 11   Ahmad Zreik
CF 99   Ahmed Akaïchi   89'
Substitutes:
GK 21   Mohamad Hammoud
GK 98   Hadi Khalil
DF 5   Khalil Khamis
MF 7   Hussein Monzer   90+3'   89'
MF 14   Walid Shour
MF 23   Ali Hadid
FW 30   Tarek El Ali   80'
Manager:
  Bassem Marmar

Man of the Match:
Issah Yakubu (Al-Ahed)[1]
Assistant referees:[1]
Deniye Gedara Palitha Parakkrama Hemathunga (Sri Lanka)
Wellabada Hewage Don Senjeewa Premalal (Sri Lanka)
Fourth official:
Omar Al-Yaqoubi (Oman)
Fifth official:
Abdullah Al-Jardani (Oman)

Match rules[2]

  • 90 minutes.
  • 30 minutes of extra time if tied.
  • Penalty shoot-out if still tied after extra time.
  • Seven named substitutes, of which up to three may be used, with a fourth allowed in extra time.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ a b c "2019 AFC Cup Competition Regulations" (PDF). AFC.
  3. ^ a b Mahfoud, Maroun (5 November 2019). "Observations from Ahed's AFC Cup triumph". FaLebanon. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  4. ^ "North Korea loses hosting soccer match amid TV concerns". AP NEWS. 22 October 2019. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  5. ^ "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.
  6. ^ "AFC Cup 2019 final to be played in Shanghai". AFC. 22 October 2019.
  7. ^ "AFC Cup 2019 final to be played on November 4 in Kuala Lumpur". AFC. 25 October 2019.
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