The 2017 AFC Champions League final was the final of the 2017 AFC Champions League, the 36th edition of the top-level Asian club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the 15th under the current AFC Champions League title.
The final was contested in two-legged home-and-away format between Saudi Arabian team Al-Hilal and Japanese team Urawa Red Diamonds. This was the first AFC Champions League final involving a Japanese club since Gamba Osaka in 2008. The first leg was hosted by Al-Hilal at the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh on 18 November 2017, while the second leg was hosted by Urawa Red Diamonds at the Saitama Stadium 2002 in Saitama on 25 November 2017.
After the first leg ended in a 1–1 draw, Urawa Red Diamonds defeated Al-Hilal 1–0 in the second leg to win 2–1 on aggregate, and were crowned AFC Champions League champions for the second time.
As Asian champions, Urawa Red Diamonds earned the right to represent the AFC at the 2017 FIFA Club World Cup in the United Arab Emirates, entering at the second round.
Teams In the following table, finals until 2002 were in the Asian Club Championship era, since 2003 were in the AFC Champions League era.
TeamRegionPrevious finals appearances (bold indicates winners) Al-HilalWest Region (Zone: WAFF)5 (1986, 1987, 1991, 2000, 2014) Urawa Red DiamondsEast Region (Zone: EAFF)1 (2007)
Notes
Venues
This was the fourth time that an Asian club final was played in the King Fahd International Stadium, with the previous finals being 1995, 2000, and 2014 (second leg).
This was the second time that an Asian club final was played in the Saitama Stadium 2002, with the previous final being 2007 (second leg).
Road to the final
Note: In all results below, the score of the finalist is given first (H: home; A: away).
Al-HilalRound Urawa Red DiamondsOpponentResultGroup stageOpponentResult Persepolis1–1 (A)Matchday 1 Western Sydney Wanderers4–0 (A) Al-Rayyan2–1 (H)Matchday 2 FC Seoul5–2 (H) Al-Wahda2–2 (A)Matchday 3 Shanghai SIPG2–3 (A) Al-Wahda1–0 (H)Matchday 4 Shanghai SIPG1–0 (H) Persepolis0–0 (H)Matchday 5 Western Sydney Wanderers6–1 (H) Al-Rayyan4–3 (A)Matchday 6 FC Seoul0–1 (A)Group D winnersFinal standingsGroup F winnersOpponentAgg.1st leg2nd legKnockout stageOpponentAgg.1st leg2nd leg Esteghlal Khuzestan4–22–1 (A)2–1 (H)Round of 16 Jeju United3–20–2 (A)3–0 (H) Al-Ain3–00–0 (A)3–0 (H)Quarter-finals Kawasaki Frontale5–41–3 (A)4–1 (H) Persepolis6–24–0 (H)2–2 (A)Semi-finals Shanghai SIPG2–11–1 (A)1–0 (H)
Format The final was played on a home-and-away two-legged basis, with the order of legs (first leg hosted by team from the West Region, second leg hosted by team from the East Region) reversed from the previous season's final. The away goals rule, extra time (away goals do not apply in extra time) and penalty shoot-out would be used to decide the winner if necessary (Regulations, Section 3. 11.2 & 11.3).
Matches First leg Urawa Red Diamonds took the lead in the seventh minute after Rafael Silva intercepted a clearance of Salman Al-Faraj and converted from close range. Omar Kharbin scored for Al-Hilal in the 37th minute striking a close-range effort through the legs of Urawa Red Diamonds goalkeeper Shusaku Nishikawa.
GK 1 Abdullah Al-MayoufRB 2 Mohammed Al-Breik CB 33 Osama Hawsawi (c)CB 70 Mohammed Jahfali LB 12 Yasser Al-ShahraniCM 7 Salman Al-FarajCM 8 Abdullah Otayf CM 16 Nicolás Milesi RF 3 Carlos Eduardo CF 77 Omar Kharbin LF 29 Salem Al-DawsariSubstitutes:GK 30 Mohammed Al-WakedDF 4 Abdullah Al-ZoriMF 6 Abdulmalek Al-KhaibriMF 24 Nawaf Al Abed MF 27 Mohamed Kanno FW 20 Yasser Al-QahtaniFW 44 Mukhtar Fallatah Manager: Ramón Díaz GK 1 Shusaku NishikawaRB 6 Wataru EndoCB 5 Tomoaki MakinoCB 22 Yuki Abe (c)LB 16 Takuya AokiRM 9 Yuki MutoCM 10 Yōsuke KashiwagiCM 15 Kazuki Nagasawa LM 3 Tomoya Ugajin CF 30 Shinzo Koroki CF 8 Rafael Silva Substitutes:GK 25 Tetsuya EnomotoDF 4 Daisuke NasuDF 46 Ryota MoriwakiMF 7 Tsukasa Umesaki MF 39 Shinya YajimaFW 13 Toshiyuki Takagi FW 21 Zlatan Ljubijankić Manager: Takafumi Hori
Man of the Match: Shusaku Nishikawa (Urawa Red Diamonds)
Assistant referees: Ahmad Al-Roalle (Jordan) Issa Al-Amawi (Jordan) Fourth official: Yousef Al-Jararwah (Jordan) Additional assistant referees: Muhammad Taqi (Singapore) Hettikamkanamge Perera (Sri Lanka)
Second leg Carlos Eduardo (Al-Hilal) tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during first leg and was ruled out from second leg. Urawa Red Diamonds scored the only goal in the 88th minute when Rafael Silva scored from the right of the penalty area, shooting high to the net with his right foot.
GK 1 Shusaku NishikawaRB 6 Wataru EndoCB 5 Tomoaki Makino CB 22 Yuki Abe (c)LB 16 Takuya AokiRM 9 Yuki MutoCM 10 Yōsuke Kashiwagi CM 15 Kazuki Nagasawa LM 3 Tomoya Ugajin CF 30 Shinzo Koroki CF 8 Rafael SilvaSubstitutes:GK 25 Tetsuya EnomotoDF 2 Maurício Antônio DF 46 Ryota MoriwakiMF 7 Tsukasa Umesaki MF 39 Shinya YajimaFW 13 Toshiyuki TakagiFW 21 Zlatan Ljubijankić Manager: Takafumi Hori GK 1 Abdullah Al-MayoufRB 2 Mohammed Al-BreikCB 33 Osama Hawsawi (c)CB 70 Mohammed JahfaliLB 12 Yasser Al-ShahraniCM 7 Salman Al-Faraj CM 8 Abdullah Otayf CM 16 Nicolás MilesiRF 24 Nawaf Al Abed CF 77 Omar Kharbin LF 29 Salem Al-Dawsari Substitutes:GK 30 Mohammed Al-WakedDF 4 Abdullah Al-ZoriMF 6 Abdulmalek Al-KhaibriMF 10 Mohammad Al-Shalhoub MF 27 Mohamed KannoFW 20 Yasser Al-Qahtani FW 44 Mukhtar Fallatah Manager: Ramón Díaz
Man of the Match: Rafael Silva (Urawa Red Diamonds)
Assistant referees: Abdukhamidullo Rasulov (Uzbekistan) Jakhongir Saidov (Uzbekistan) Fourth official: Mamur Saidkasimov (Uzbekistan) Additional assistant referees: Valentin Kovalenko (Uzbekistan) Ilgiz Tantashev (Uzbekistan)
See also 2017 AFC Cup Final
References
External links , the-AFC.com AFC Champions League 2017, stats.the-AFC.com