| |
|---|---|
 | |
| Tournament details | |
| Host countries | Indonesia Malaysia Thailand Vietnam |
| Dates | 7–29 July 2007 |
| Teams | 16 (from 1 confederation) |
| Venue | 8 (in 7 host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Iraq (1st title) |
| Runners-up |  Saudi Arabia |
| Third place |  South Korea |
| Fourth place |  Japan |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 32 |
| Goals scored | 84 (2.63 per match) |
| Attendance | 724,222 (22,632 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Younis MahmoudNaohiro TakaharaYasser Al-Qahtani (4 goals each) |
| Best player | Younis Mahmoud[1] |
| Bestgoalkeeper | Noor Sabri[1] |
| Fair play award | Japan[1] |
←2004 2011 → | |
The2007 AFC Asian Cup was the 14th edition of the men'sAFC Asian Cup, aquadrennial internationalfootball tournament organised by theAsian Football Confederation (AFC). The finals were held from 7 to 29 July 2007. For the first time in its history, the competition was co-hosted by four countries inSoutheast Asia:Indonesia,Malaysia,Thailand andVietnam; it was the first time in football history that more than two countries joined as hosts of a major continental competition and the only one to have ever taken place untilUEFA Euro 2020.
Iraq won the continental title for the first time after defeating three-time championSaudi Arabia 1–0 in the final. As the winner, Iraq represented the AFC in the2009 FIFA Confederations Cup.
Before 2007, Asia held its continental tournament every four years from 1956 until 2004. With theSummer Olympic Games and theEuropean Football Championship also held in the same year as the Asian Cup, the AFC changed their tradition. From 2007, AFC decided to hold its continental tournament a year earlier, and every four years henceforth from that date.
An estimated worldwide television audience of 650 million people tuned in to watch the 2007 AFC Asian Cup.[2]
Australia participated for the first time since moving to the AFC from the OFC. Australia also happened to be the tournament's first nation aside from the co-hosts to qualify for the 2007 Asian Cup.
Since the tournament, theShah Alam Stadium has been demolished. TheRajamangala Stadium, theMỹ Đình National Stadium, theGelora Bung Karno Stadium, theBukit Jalil National Stadium and theGelora Sriwijaya Stadium have all been moderately or heavily modified. TheSupachalasai Stadium and theArmy Stadium are the only largely unmodified stadiums used for this tournament.
| City | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
 Bangkok | Rajamangala Stadium | 49,722 |
| Supachalasai Stadium | 19,793 | |
 Hanoi | Mỹ Đình National Stadium | 40,192 |
| Ho Chi Minh City | Army Stadium | 25,000 |
 Jakarta | Gelora Bung Karno Stadium | 88,083 |
 Kuala Lumpur | Bukit Jalil National Stadium | 87,411 |
| Palembang | Gelora Sriwijaya Stadium | 30,000 |
| Shah Alam | Shah Alam Stadium | 80,372 |
The qualification ran from 22 February 2006 to 15 November 2006. For the first time, the defending champions (in this tournament,Japan) did not get automatic qualification. Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam automatically qualified as co-hosts. Twenty-four teams were split into six groups of four to compete for the 12 remaining spots in the final tournament.
| Team | Qualified as | Date qualification was secured | Previous appearances in tournament1,2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indonesia | 00Co-hosts | 7 August 2004 | 3 (1996,2000,2004) |
| Malaysia | 2 (1976,1980) | ||
| Thailand | 5 (1972,1992,1996,2000,2004) | ||
| Vietnam3 | 2 (19564,19604) | ||
 Australia | Group D winner | 16 August 2006 | 0 (debut) |
 Qatar | Group F winner | 6 September 2006 | 6 (1980,1984,1988,1992,2000,2004) |
| Japan | Group A winner | 5 (1988,1992,1996,2000,2004) | |
| Saudi Arabia | Group A runner-up | 6 (1984,1988,1992,1996,2000,2004) | |
 Iran | Group B winner | 11 October 2006 | 10 (1968,1972,1976,1980,1984,1988,1992,1996,2000,2004) |
| South Korea | Group B runner-up | 10 (1956,1960,1964,1972,1980,1984,1988,1996,2000,2004) | |
 United Arab Emirates | Group C winner | 6 (1980,1984,1988,1992,1996,2004) | |
 Oman | Group C runner-up | 1 (2004) | |
| Iraq | Group E winner | 5 (1972,1976,1996,2000,2004) | |
 China | Group E runner-up | 8 (1976,1980,1984,1988,1992,1996,2000,2004) | |
 Bahrain | Group D runner-up | 15 November 2006 | 2 (1988,2004) |
 Uzbekistan | Group F runner-up | 3 (1996,2000,2004) |
For the first time, the seeds are based on the October 2006FIFA World Rankings instead of the basis of the performance from the previous AFC Asian Cup competition. This was to ensure that the same number of strong teams do not meet in the early stage.[3]
The four seeded teams were announced on 19 December 2006. The seeds comprised Pot 4 in the draw. Pot 1 consists of the teams from all co-hosts.
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indonesia (153) Malaysia (152) Thailand (137) Vietnam (172) | China (84) Iraq (83) United Arab Emirates (87) Bahrain (97) | Qatar (58) Uzbekistan (45) Saudi Arabia (64) Oman (72) | Australia (39) Iran (38) Japan (47) South Korea (51) |
The draw was held on 19 December 2006 at theKuala Lumpur Convention Centre.
16 referees and 24 assistant referees were officially cleared following a fitness test on 2 July inKuala Lumpur,Malaysia. One referee and two assistant referees were also named from theCAF.[4]
|
|
(†): Replaced
Shamsul Maidin after he pulled out with injury.[5]
The Asian Cup saw many upsets in the early stages of the tournament, with tournament favouritesAustralia andSouth Korea performing poorly in the group stage.
In Group A,Oman held the Socceroos to a surprising draw. The Omanis took the lead and would have won, if not for an injury time goal fromTim Cahill. Next, joint hosts and the lowest-ranked team in the competition,Vietnam, shocked theUAE with a 2–0 victory. In the same group,Qatar heldJapan to a shock 1–1 draw. The result caused Japan's coachIvica Osim to fly into a rage in which he branded his players as 'amateurs' and reduced his interpreter to tears.[6] In Group D,Indonesia continued the undefeated streak of the hosts by defeatingBahrain 2–1.Malaysia ended up as the only host country to lose their opening match after a crushing 5–1 defeat toChina.Thailand recorded just their 2nd win in the Asian Cup finals (their other was in 1972 againstCambodia), and its first ever win in regulation, when they beat Oman 2–0 on 12 July. Meanwhile, Australia was upset by a 3–1 defeat toIraq the following day, leaving them floundering in third place in their group despite high expectations. However, Australia's 4–0 demolition of Thailand at the last match day saw them move on to the quarter-finals, as Oman was unable to overcome Iraq in a goalless draw.
Vietnam continued to stun all predictions when they drew 1–1 with2006 ASIAD championsQatar, while Japan finally got their first win when they thrashed the UAE 3–1. Although Vietnam lost 1–4 to Japan, the UAE's 2–1 comeback win over Qatar resulted in Vietnam's first ever qualification into the next round. They became the only host to progress through despite being in a group with three different champions. On the other hand, Malaysia continued its poor form with 0–5 and 0–2 losses toUzbekistan andIran, exiting the tournament without a single point. China's shocking elimination occurred when they were hammered 0–3 by the Uzbeks, despite having drawn 2–2 with Iran and was expected to qualify from group stage with an easy win.
Bahrain shocked the whole tournament by defeating South Korea 2–1 in Group D, leaving the Koreans on the verge of elimination when Indonesia was beaten 1–2 bySaudi Arabia. However, South Korea secured a 1–0 win over hosts Indonesia and with Saudi Arabia destroying Bahrain 4–0, it was enough for the Koreans to qualify to the quarter-finals.
In the quarter-finals, Iraq defeated Vietnam 2–0, while South Korea needed a penalty shootout to eliminate Iran 4–2. Japan also needed a penalty shootout to defeat Australia 4–3 (this was the first time Australia's goalkeeperMark Schwarzer had ever come out on the losing end of a penalty shoot-out), and Saudi Arabia won over Uzbekistan 2–1. Iraq upset the Koreans in the semi-finals by winning 4–3 on penalties, resulting in thousands of Iraqis celebrating in the streets of Baghdad. Over 50 Iraqis were killed by terrorist bombs targeting these crowds.[7] In the other semi-finals, Saudi Arabia eliminated defending champions Japan after a 3–2 win to make the final match an all-Arab affair.
Iraq went on to defeat the Saudis 1–0, taking the Asian Cup title. Iraqi forward and captainYounis Mahmoud was given the title of Most Valuable Player. South Korea took third place, narrowly beating Japan 6–5 on penalties. It was the third consecutive match in the tournament that South Korea drew 0–0 before a penalty shootout. Iraq, Saudi Arabia and South Korea, as the top three teams in the tournament, all received automatic berths to the2011 Asian Cup along with the next hosts Qatar.[8]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iraq | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 5 | Advance toknockout stage |
| 2 | Australia | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 4 | |
| 3 | Thailand(H) | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | −2 | 4 | |
| 4 | Oman | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | −2 | 2 |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japan | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 3 | +5 | 7 | Advance toknockout stage |
| 2 | Vietnam(H) | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 4 | |
| 3 | United Arab Emirates | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 6 | −3 | 3 | |
| 4 | Qatar | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 2 |
| United Arab Emirates | 1–3 | Japan |
|---|---|---|
Al-Kass 66' | Report | Takahara 22',27' S. Nakamura 42' (pen.) |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iran | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 7 | Advance toknockout stage |
| 2 | Uzbekistan | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 2 | +7 | 6 | |
| 3 | China | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 6 | +1 | 4 | |
| 4 | Malaysia(H) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 12 | −11 | 0 |
| Malaysia | 1–5 | China |
|---|---|---|
| Indra Putra 74' | Report | Han Peng 15',55' Shao Jiayi 36'Wang Dong 51',90+3' |
| China | 2–2 | Iran |
|---|---|---|
| Shao Jiayi 7' Mao Jianqing 33' | Report | Zandi 45+1' Nekounam 74' |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saudi Arabia | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 2 | +5 | 7 | Advance toknockout stage |
| 2 | South Korea | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 | |
| 3 | Indonesia(H) | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 3 | |
| 4 | Bahrain | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 7 | −4 | 3 |
| Saudi Arabia | 2–1 | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| Y. Al-Qahtani 12' Al-Harthi 90' | Report | Elie 17' |
| Bahrain | 2–1 | South Korea |
|---|---|---|
| Isa 43' Abdullatif 85' | Report | Kim Do-heon 4' |
| Saudi Arabia | 4–0 | Bahrain |
|---|---|---|
| Al-Mousa 18' A. Al-Qahtani 45'Al-Jassim 68',79' | Report |
| Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||
| 21 July –Bangkok | ||||||||||
| Iraq | 2 | |||||||||
| 25 July –Kuala Lumpur | ||||||||||
| Vietnam | 0 | |||||||||
| Iraq (pen.) | 0 (4) | |||||||||
| 22 July –Kuala Lumpur | ||||||||||
| South Korea | 0 (3) | |||||||||
| Iran | 0 (2) | |||||||||
| 29 July –Jakarta | ||||||||||
| South Korea (pen.) | 0 (4) | |||||||||
| Iraq | 1 | |||||||||
| 21 July –Hanoi | ||||||||||
| Saudi Arabia | 0 | |||||||||
| Japan (pen.) | 1 (4) | |||||||||
| 25 July –Hanoi | ||||||||||
| Australia | 1 (3) | |||||||||
| Japan | 2 | |||||||||
| 22 July –Jakarta | ||||||||||
| Saudi Arabia | 3 | Third place | ||||||||
| Saudi Arabia | 2 | |||||||||
| 28 July –Palembang | ||||||||||
| Uzbekistan | 1 | |||||||||
| South Korea (pen.) | 0 (6) | |||||||||
| Japan | 0 (5) | |||||||||
| Japan | 1–1 (a.e.t.) | Australia |
|---|---|---|
| Takahara 72' | Report | Aloisi 70' |
| Penalties | ||
Nakamura Endō Komano Takahara  Nakazawa | 4–3 | KewellNeillCahillCarleCarney |
| Iran | 0–0 (a.e.t.) | South Korea |
|---|---|---|
| Report | ||
| Penalties | ||
| Zandi Mahdavikia Enayati Khatibi | 2–4 | Lee Chun-sooKim Sang-sikKim Do-heonCho Jae-jinKim Jung-woo |
| Iraq | 0–0 (a.e.t.) | South Korea |
|---|---|---|
| Report | ||
| Penalties | ||
| H. Mohammed Munir Abdul-Amir Mnajed | 4–3 | Lee Chun-sooLee Dong-gookCho Jae-jinYeom Ki-hunKim Jung-woo |
| Japan | 2–3 | Saudi Arabia |
|---|---|---|
| Nakazawa 37' Abe 53' | Report | Y. Al-Qahtani 35' Mouath 47',57' |
| South Korea | 0–0 (a.e.t.) | Japan |
|---|---|---|
| Report | ||
| Penalties | ||
| Cho Jae-jin Oh Beom-seok Lee Chun-soo Lee Ho Kim Jin-kyu Kim Chi-woo | 6–5 | S. NakamuraEndōAbeKomanoNakazawaHanyu |
With four goals, Younis Mahmoud, Naohiro Takahara and Yasser Al-Qahtani are the top scorers in the tournament. In total, 84 goals were scored by 57 different players, with two of them credited as own goals.
Harry KewellJohn AloisiMichael BeauchampTim CahillIsmail Abdul-LatifSalman IsaSayed JalalMao JianqingBambang PamungkasBudi SudarsonoElie AiboyAndranik TeymourianFerydoon ZandiJalal HosseiniJavad KazemianHawar Mulla MohammedKarrar JassimNashat AkramYasuhito EndōYuji NakazawaYuki AbeIndra PutraBadar Al-MaimaniAbdulrahman Al-QahtaniSaad Al-HarthiChoi Sung-kukKim Do-heonKim Jung-wooSutee SuksomkitFaisal KhalilAlexander GeynrikhAziz IbragimovPavel SolominUlugbek BakayevHuỳnh Quang ThanhLê Công VinhPhan Thanh BìnhRahman Rezaei (againstUzbekistan)Keita Suzuki (againstVietnam)Most Valuable Player[1]
Top scorer
Best Goalkeeper[1]
Best Defender[1]
Fair Play Award[1]
Most Entertaining Team[1]
Team of the tournament
TheToshiba All-Star XI was voted for by fans on the official Asian Cup website.[9][10]
| Goalkeeper | Defenders | Midfielders | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
The Official Match Ball for the 2007 AFC Asian Cup was launched byNike on 15 May 2007, making it the first time ever that a ball had been launched specifically for any football competition in Asia.[11] The Nike Mercurial Veloci AC features four blue stripes with gold trim with each host city's name inscribed, as well as theAFC Asian Cup logo.[12]
The AFC selected "I Believe", a 2004 single byThai singerTata Young as the tournament's official song.[13]
Official Sponsors
Official Supporters
2007 AFC Asian Cup finalists | |
|---|---|
| Champions | |
| Runners-up | |
| Third place | |
| Fourth place | |
| Quarter-finals | |
| Group stage | |
