دوري أبطال آسيا 2 2024-2025

With the AFC Cup making way for a revamped continental club competition structure, Mariners were the ones standing tall at the end of a challenging campaign.

While the matches are still several weeks away, the-AFC.com takes an early look at what can be expected when the teams go head to head in February, with the last-16 ties to be decided over two legs.

The action promises to be spectacular, with the draw throwing up some fascinating ties.

As the 16 teams wait to discover their knockout stage opponents in Thursday's draw at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, the-AFC.com takes a look at the facts and figures from the group stage.

Eight teams each from the West and East regions successfully progressed from the Group Stage, which concluded on Thursday, to seal their Round of 16 berths in the 20th edition of the Continent’s second-tier men’s tournament and keep their hopes of glory alive.

Leading 2-0 after Song’s first half brace, the Singapore side found themselves pegged back as Port drew level but the midfielder restored Sailors’ advantage with a spectacular bicycle kick with Shawal Anuar and Lennart Thy then putting gloss on the victory which took them into the next stage as the Group F winners.

Emerging talents Adrian Segecic, Patrick Wood and Jaiden Kucharski etched their name on the scoreboard with a goal each to seal second spot for Sydney in Group E with 12 points.

Talay emphasised the significance of giving young players the stage to demonstrate their potential.

The decisive moment came late in the first half, with Muangthong’s relentless attacks finally breaking through Jeonbuk’s defence, which proved enough for the Thai side to secure second spot in Group H.

With the AFC Cup making way for a revamped continental club competition structure, Mariners were the ones standing tall at the end of a challenging campaign.

For two decades, the AFC Cup provided plenty of thrilling moments with many spectacular goals that will live long in the memory of Asian football lovers.

From bicycle kick to backheel flick and long-range screamer to brilliant solo effort, there is plenty of variety on offer as the-AFC.com rewinds the clock to 10 of the greatest goals ever witnessed in the competition’s history.

Over the AFC Cup's two-decade-long history since launching in 2004, numerous players across the continent have shone brightly, providing unforgettable moments to savour for Asian football fans.

The-AFC.com selects 10 superstars who lit up the AFC Cup, making it one of the most enjoyable competitions in the Asian football calendar.

Alou Kuol's 84th minute strike at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex clinched the title for Central Coast, with the triumph coming a decade after Western Sydney Wanderers had lifted the AFC Champions League™ title.

Seeking to win the AFC Cup for a second time, Lebanon's Al Ahed had to be satisfied with a second place finish following Alou Kuol's late winner for Australia's Central Coast Mariners.

The defender played a key role in Central Coast's AFC Cup journey, with the Australian club defeating Lebanon's Al Ahed FC 1-0 in the final at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex on Sunday.

On their debut in the competition, Mariners became just the second Australian club to win an AFC competition, a decade after Western Sydney Wanderers won the AFC Champions League™ on their own debut.

The final marked the last-ever game in the AFC Cup which will make way for the three-tier AFC competitions from next season; the AFC Champions League Elite, AFC Champions League 2 and AFC Challenge League.

Lebanon's Al Ahed are seeking to lift the trophy for a second time after emerging champions in 2019 while Central Coast will be bidding to become the first Australian side to win the title in the final season of the AFC Cup.

With the first edition of the AFC Cup™ being launched in 2004, Sunday’s final will see the curtains come down on the prestigious tournament, marking the end of an illustrious 19-year run filled with some of the most iconic moments in Asian club football, as the 2024/25 season enters a new era with the introduction of the revamped three-tier club structure.