2008 AFC Challenge Cup

2008 AFC Challenge Cup
Tournament details
Host country India
Dates 30 July – 13 August
Venue(s) 3 (in 2 host cities)
Final positions
Champions  India (1st title)
Runners-up  Tajikistan
Third place  North Korea
Fourth place  Myanmar
Tournament statistics
Matches played 16
Goals scored 41 (2.56 per match)
Attendance 15,900 (994 per match)
Top scorer(s) North Korea Pak Song-Chol
(6 goals)
Best player India Baichung Bhutia

The 2008 AFC Challenge Cup football tournament was hosted by India and played from 30 July – 13 August 2008. India won the final against Tajikistan.[1] India was also the winner of the fair play award and the India captain Baichung Bhutia won the most valuable player award.

Chinese Taipei was originally designated the host, but could not guarantee it would meet the AFC's standards for hosting the tournament.[2] Thailand was first chosen as host but withdrew due to lack of time to prepare.[3] The winners of the 2008 and 2010 competitions will qualify directly for the 2011 Asian Cup. This competition is exclusive to members of the emerging nations class of the AFC. However, in the previous edition, Bangladesh and India were invited from the developing nations class - Bangladesh actually hosting the tournament, and India sending their under-20 team. India and Bangladesh have again been invited for the 2008 edition of the tournament, along with North Korea, Myanmar and Turkmenistan who are also a part of the developing nations class.

Laos withdrew from the competition on 2 May 2008.[4] Palestine withdrew from the competition on 14 May 2008.[5]

Due to the poor conditions of the pitch at Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium, the AFC moved the majority of the matches to another venue. It was decided that ten matches would be played at the Gachibowli Athletic Stadium, and two at the LBS Stadium.[6] Due to incessant rains in Hyderabad in the days leading up to the final, the AFC changed the venue of the final and the third place play-off to the Ambedkar Stadium in New Delhi.[7][8]

Tournament

Qualification saw the top team from each of the four qualification groups qualify for the tournament proper, bringing the total number of participating teams in the centralized finals to eight. In addition, India (tournament hosts), Korea DPR, Turkmenistan and Myanmar qualified automatically.

Mongolia and Timor-Leste decided not to take part.[9]

Seeding

Bold Type - qualified teams, Italics - withdrawn teams

  1.  North Korea
  2.  Turkmenistan
  3.  India
  4.  Myanmar

5.  Tajikistan
6.  Sri Lanka
7.    Nepal
8.  Kyrgyzstan

9.  Palestine (Withdrew 14 May 2008)
10.  Chinese Taipei
11.  Bangladesh
12.  Brunei

13.  Pakistan
14.  Cambodia
15.  Philippines
16.  Afghanistan

17.  Bhutan
18.  Macau
19.  Guam
20.  Laos (Withdrew 2 May 2008)

Venues

Hyderabad New Delhi
Gachibowli Athletic Stadium Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium Ambedkar Stadium
Capacity: 30,000 Capacity: 30,000 Capacity: 20,000

Qualification

The following teams qualified for the final tournament:

Squads

Group stage

All times are Indian Standard Time (IST) – UTC+5:30

Key to colours in group tables
Top two placed teams advance to the semi-finals

Tie-breaking criteria

Where two or more teams end the group stage with the same number of points, their ranking is determined by the following criteria:

  1. points earned in the matches between the teams concerned;
  2. goal difference in the matches between the teams concerned;
  3. number of goals scored in the group matches between the teams concerned;
  4. goal difference in all group matches;
  5. number of goals scored in all group matches;
  6. kicks from the penalty mark (if only two teams are level and they are both on the field of play);
  7. fewer yellow and red cards received in the group matches;
  8. drawing of lots by the organising committee.

Group A

Team Pld
 W
 D
 L
 GF
 GA
 GD
 Pts
 India 3 2 1 0 4 2 +2 7
 Tajikistan 3 1 2 0 5 1 +4 5
 Turkmenistan 3 1 1 1 6 2 +4 4
 Afghanistan 3 0 0 3 0 10 −10 0

30 July 2008
18:30
India  1–0  Afghanistan
Lawrence  90+2' Report

1 August 2008
16:00
Tajikistan  1–1  India
Rabiev  11' Report Tuychiev  61' (o.g.)

1 August 2008
18:30
Afghanistan  0–5  Turkmenistan
Report Öwekow  1', 41', 77', 80'
Krendelev  23'
Gachibowli Athletic Stadium, Hyderabad
Attendance: 100
Referee: Ali Saleem (Maldives)

3 August 2008
18:30
Turkmenistan  1–2  India
Orazmämmedow  84' Report Bhutia  54', 80'
Gachibowli Athletic Stadium, Hyderabad
Attendance: 1,000
Referee: Khalid Al-Senan (UAE)

3 August 2008
18:30
Afghanistan  0–4  Tajikistan
Report Rabiev  14', 44', 56'
Tukhtasunov  39'

Group B

Team Pld
 W
 D
 L
 GF
 GA
 GD
 Pts
 North Korea 3 3 0 0 5 0 +5 9
 Myanmar 3 2 0 1 6 2 +4 6
   Nepal 3 1 0 2 3 4 −1 3
 Sri Lanka 3 0 0 3 1 9 −8 0

31 July 2008
16:00
North Korea  3–0  Sri Lanka
Peiris  5' (o.g.)
Pak Song-Chol  9', 27'		 Report

31 July 2008
18:30
Myanmar  3–0    Nepal
Yazar Win Thein  66'
Myo Min Tun  76'
Soe Myat Min  86'		 Report
Gachibowli Athletic Stadium, Hyderabad
Attendance: 150
Referee: Khalid Al-Senan (UAE)

2 August 2008
16:00
Sri Lanka  1–3  Myanmar
Jayasuriya  51' Report Soe Myat Min  47'
Yan Paing  70'
Si Thu Win  85'

2 August 2008
18:30
Nepal    0–1  North Korea
Report Pak Song-Chol  39'

4 August 2008
18:30
North Korea  1–0  Myanmar
Ro Hak-Su  15' Report

4 August 2008
18:30
Nepal    3–0  Sri Lanka
Sahukhala  14'
J.M. Rai  55'
Anjan  68'		 Report
Gachibowli Athletic Stadium, Hyderabad
Attendance: 200
Referee: Ali Saleem (Maldives)

Knockout stage

Semi-finals Final
07 August - Hyderabad
  India  1  
  Myanmar  0  
 
13 August - New Delhi
      India  4
    Tajikistan  1
Third place
07 August - Hyderabad 13 August - New Delhi
  North Korea  0   North Korea  4
  Tajikistan  1     Myanmar  0

Semi-finals

7 August 2008
16:00
India  1–0  Myanmar
Chhetri  82' Report

7 August 2008
19:30
North Korea  0–1  Tajikistan
Report Mukhidinov  39'

Third place play-off

13 August 2008
16:00
Myanmar  0–4  North Korea
Report Pak Song-Chol  10', 12', 44' (pen.)
Ro Hak-Su  53'
Ambedkar Stadium, New Delhi
Attendance: 1,000
Referee: Khalid Al-Senan (UAE)

Final

13 August 2008
19:00
India  4–1  Tajikistan
Chhetri  9', 23', 75'
Bhutia  18'		 Report Fatkhuloev  44'

Winner

 2008 AFC Challenge Cup Champions 

India
First title

Awards

Fair Play Award Golden Shoe Most Valuable Player
 India North Korea Pak Song-Chol India Baichung Bhutia

Goalscorers

References

  1. ↑ The Roon Ba News, 17 December 2007
  2. ↑ Thailand replaces Taiwan as 2008 Challenge Cup host
  3. ↑ India almost set to host Asian Challenge Cup
  4. ↑ "Laos withdraws from Challenge Cup". Retrieved 2 May 2008.
  5. ↑ "Palestine withdraws from Challenge Cup". Retrieved 14 May 2008.
  6. ↑ "AFC Challenge Cup Venues Changed". Archived from the original on 28 July 2008. Retrieved 27 July 2008.
  7. ↑ "New Delhi to host AFC Challenge Cup final on Aug 13". Retrieved 13 August 2008.
  8. ↑ AFC Challenge Cup final shifted
  9. ↑ AFC Asian Cup 2011 and AFC Challenge Cup 2008: AFC announces seedings and revised qualification process

External links

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