AFC Champions League
For some sides, qualification to the group stage would rank as a historic achievement, while others would immediately set their sights on going deep into the tournament, and perhaps even ending the campaign as kings of Asia.
It’s a long journey from the playoffs to the final – the-AFC.com has looked back through the archives to find out which teams have delivered standout performances after clearing the final qualification hurdle.
Al Sadd go all the way
When it comes to successful runs from the playoffs, no team can beat Al Sadd, who had to overcome Syria’s Al Ittihad and India’s Dempo just to get to the group stage in 2011. From there, they would do what no team has done before and no team has done since.
Two wins and four draws saw them into the knockout rounds, where they edged Saudi Arabia’s Al Shabab in the last 16 thanks to Abdulla Koni’s winning goal. Mamadou Niang arrived in the summer months and the Senegalese striker proved an excellent fit in Qatar.
He scored his first AFC Champions League goal as Al Sadd eliminated Sepahan in the quarter-finals before a brace in a 2-0 away win against Suwon Samsung Bluewings proved enough to line up a final against another Korean club, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors.
After falling behind in Jeonju, an own goal drew the Qataris level before an fine finish from Abdul Kader Keita put them in front. Jeonbuk levelled in stoppage time but Jorge Fossati’s team would not be denied as Nadir Belhadj dispatched the winning spot-kick to complete Al Sadd’s remarkable run from playoffs to champions.
Damjanovic inspires Suwon
Two-time Asian champions Suwon Samsung Bluewings signed Dejan Damjanovic from arch-rivals FC Seoul ahead of the 2018 campaign, and he proved an inspired acquisition, netting on his debut in the 5-1 playoff round win over Vietnam’s FLC Thanh Hoa to secure a place in the group stage.
The goals kept coming for the Montenegrin, who scored in away wins Sydney FC, Shanghai Shenhua and Kashima Antlers and netted five in total as Suwon topped the Group H standings before going on to eliminate domestic rivals Ulsan Hyundai in the last 16.
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC 0-3 Suwon Samsung Bluewings (AFC Champions League 2018: Quarter-final – First Leg)
Damjanovic’s double secured a 3-0 win away at Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in the first leg of the quarter-finals, yet the 2016 champions stormed back to win by the same scoreline in the return fixture. But the star striker was among the scorers as Suwon prevailed from the spot.
He then scored away and home against Kashima Antlers in the semi-finals but in both games Suwon threw away two-goals leads and their run was ultimately ended when Kashima secured a 3-3 draw at Suwon World Cup Stadium. Nine of Damjanovic's record 42 goals came during that one campaign with Suwon.
Hamdallah and Romarinho shine for El Jaish
These days part of Al Ittihad’s star-studded squad in the Saudi Pro League, Moroccan striker Abderrazak Hamdallah and his Brazilian teammate Romarinho were on fire for Qatar’s El Jaish in 2016, and a goal apiece from the pair saw their side navigate a tricky playoff tie away to Naft Tehran.
They scored again in an opening-day win at Al Ain as three wins and a draw from their first four games proved enough to see El Jaish into the last 16. It was here, against domestic rivals Lekhwiya, where they produced their finest performance.
Romarinho’s brace, with Hamdallah and Mohamed Methnani scoring in between, secured a resounding 4-0 first-leg win and, despite a few scares in the return meeting, El Jaish prevailed 6-4 on aggregate. Former FC Barcelona midfielder Seydou Keita arrived ahead of the quarter-finals but an injury to Hamdallah proved costly.
El Jaish still did enough to get past Emirati side Al Nasr in the last eight, but a 3-1 first-leg loss against Al Ain left an uphill battle in the semi-finals. Romarinho’s second-half double in Doha put his side 2-1 up to give the home support hope although a late equaliser meant the final proved a step too far for El Jaish.
Buriram United: Thai powerhouse enjoy finest campaign
Perennial Thai champions Buriram United’s dominance was underway by the time the 2013 AFC Champions League came round, but never before had they made it beyond the group stage on the continent. After edging Brisbane Roar on penalties in the playoffs, that was about to change.
Two points from the first three games saw Buriram prop up the standings but a win over Jiangsu FC kept the Round of 16 dream alive. A Theerathon Bunmathan free-kick on Matchday Six then secured a 2-2 draw at FC Seoul as for the first time in a decade, a Thai side made it to the knockout rounds.
Up next came Uzbekistan’s Bunyodkor FC – two-time semi-finalists who’d reached the final four a year earlier. Anawin Jujeen and Ekkachai Sumrai netted in a 2-1 win in Buriram and, still with plenty to do in Tashkent, the Thai side defended superbly to secure a 0-0 draw and a place in the quarter-finals.
Some 95,000 at Azadi Stadium awaited in the last eight where Iranian side Esteghlal won the first leg 1-0. But Osmar Barba’s opener in the return meeting restored parity and had Buriram fans dreaming, only for the Tehran giants to net twice in the second half to bring a memorable run to a close.
