2018 AFC U-19 Championship

The 2018 AFC U-19 Championship was the 40th edition of the biennial international youth football championship organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for the men's under-19 national teams of Asia. It took place in Indonesia, which was appointed as the host by the AFC on 25 July 2017,[1] between 18 October and 4 November 2018.[2] A total of 16 teams played in the tournament.

2018 AFC U-19 Championship
Piala Asia U-19 2018
Tournament details
Host countryIndonesia
Dates18 October – 4 November
Teams16 (from 1 confederation)
Venue(s)3 (in 3 host cities)
Final positions
Champions Saudi Arabia (3rd title)
Runners-up South Korea
Tournament statistics
Matches played31
Goals scored117 (3.77 per match)
Attendance175,034 (5,646 per match)
Top scorer(s)Qatar Abdulrasheed Umaru (7 goals)
Best player(s)Saudi Arabia Turki Al-Ammar
Fair play award Saudi Arabia
2016
2020

The top four teams of the tournament qualified for the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Poland as the AFC representatives. Saudi Arabia won their third title, and qualified together with runners-up South Korea and semi-finalists Qatar and Japan, which were the defending champions but eliminated by Saudi Arabia.

Qualification

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  Qualified for 2018 AFC U-19 Championship
  Failed to qualify
  Disqualified or withdrew
  Not an AFC member

Qualification process

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Qualification matches were played between 24 October and 8 November 2017.[3]

Although Indonesia had already qualified automatically as hosts, they also participated in the qualifiers and finished third place after going down 0–3 and 1–4 loss to South Korea and Malaysia sides respectively.[4]

Chinese Taipei returned to the tournament finals for the first time since 1974 as one of the best group runners-up.[5][6][7]

The 2018 qualifiers also witnessed a unique situation where two teams had to go to penalties to determine the higher-position team. It happened in Group C after Qatar and Iraq were tied in all tie-breaking criteria and both of them played among each other in the last match.[8] Qatar won the penalties and finished top of the group while Iraq finished second.[9]

Twelve out of 2018 qualified sixteen teams played in the 2016 finals.

Qualified teams

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The following 16 teams qualified for the final tournament.[10]

Team Qualified as Appearance Previous best performance
  Indonesia Hosts 17th Champions (1961)
  United Arab Emirates Group A winners 14th Champions (2008)
  Tajikistan Group B winners 4th Quarter-finals (2016)
  Qatar Group C winners 14th Champions (2014)
  Saudi Arabia Group D winners 14th Champions (1986, 1992)
  Jordan Group E winners 7th Fourth place (2006)
  South Korea Group F winners 38th Champions (1959, 1960, 1963, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1990, 1996, 1998, 2002, 2004, 2012)
  China Group G winners 18th Champions (1985)
  Vietnam Group H winners 19th[note 1] Semi-finals (2016)
  Japan Group I winners 37th Champions (2016)
  Australia Group J winners 7th Runners-up (2010)
  Iraq Group C runners-up[note 2] 17th Champions (1975, 1977, 1978, 1988, 2000)
  Thailand Group I runners-up[note 2] 33rd Champions (1962, 1969)
  North Korea Group J runners-up[note 2] 13th Champions (1976, 2006, 2010)
  Chinese Taipei Group H runners-up[note 2] 10th Third place (1966)
  Malaysia Group F runners-up[note 2] 23rd Runners-up (1959, 1960, 1968)

Notes:

  1. ^ Vietnam between 1959 and 1974 were to play at AFC tournaments as South Vietnam. A separate North Vietnam state did not join FIFA and they mostly played against other communist and communist-sympathising countries.[11] The Vietnam's 19 appearances included 11 appearances as South Vietnam.
  2. ^ a b c d e The five best runners-up qualified for the final tournament.

Venues

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The matches were played in three venues around Greater Jakarta.

Jakarta Cibinong Bekasi
Gelora Bung Karno Pakansari Patriot Candrabhaga
Capacity: 77,200 Capacity: 30,000 Capacity: 30,000
     

Draw

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The draw was held on 18 May 2018, 15:00 WIB (UTC+7), at the Fairmont Hotel in Jakarta.[12] The 16 teams were drawn into four groups of four teams.[13] The teams were seeded according to their performance in the 2016 AFC U-19 Championship final tournament and qualification, with the hosts Indonesia automatically seeded and assigned to Position A1 in the draw.[14]

Pot 1 Pot 2 Pot 3 Pot 4
  1.   Indonesia (hosts)
  2.   Japan
  3.   Saudi Arabia
  4.   Vietnam

Squads

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Players born on or after 1 January 1999 were eligible to compete in the tournament. Each team must register a squad of minimum 18 players and maximum 23 players, minimum three of whom must be goalkeepers.[15]

Group stage

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The top two teams of each group advanced to the quarter-finals.

Tiebreakers

Teams were ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss), and if tied on points, the following tie-breaking criteria were applied, in the order given, to determine the rankings:[15]

  1. Points in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  2. Goal difference in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  3. Goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  4. If more than two teams are tied, and after applying all head-to-head criteria above, a subset of teams are still tied, all head-to-head criteria above are reapplied exclusively to this subset of teams;
  5. Goal difference in all group matches;
  6. Goals scored in all group matches;
  7. Penalty shoot-out if only two teams were tied and they met in the last round of the group;
  8. Disciplinary points (yellow card = 1 point, red card as a result of two yellow cards = 3 points, direct red card = 3 points, yellow card followed by direct red card = 4 points);
  9. Drawing of lots.

All times are local, WIB (UTC+7).

Group A

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1   Qatar 3 2 0 1 11 7 +4 6[a] Knockout stage
2   Indonesia (H) 3 2 0 1 9 7 +2 6[a]
3   United Arab Emirates 3 2 0 1 10 3 +7 6[a]
4   Chinese Taipei 3 0 0 3 2 15 −13 0
Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
(H) Hosts
Notes:
  1. ^ a b c Head-to-head results: United Arab Emirates 2–1 Qatar, Qatar 6–5 Indonesia, Indonesia 1–0 United Arab Emirates. Head-to-head standings:
    • Qatar: 3 pts, 0 GD, 7 GF
    • Indonesia: 3 pts, 0 GD, 6 GF
    • United Arab Emirates: 3 pts, 0 GD, 2 GF
United Arab Emirates  2–1  Qatar
Report
Indonesia  3–1  Chinese Taipei
Report

Chinese Taipei  1–8  United Arab Emirates
Report
Qatar  6–5  Indonesia
Report

Indonesia  1–0  United Arab Emirates
Report
Qatar  4–0  Chinese Taipei
Report

Group B

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1   Japan 3 3 0 0 13 3 +10 9 Knockout stage
2   Thailand 3 1 1 1 6 7 −1 4
3   North Korea 3 1 0 2 4 7 −3 3
4   Iraq 3 0 1 2 3 9 −6 1
Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Iraq  3–3  Thailand
Report
Japan  5–2  North Korea
Report

North Korea  1–0  Iraq
Report
Thailand  1–3  Japan
Report

Japan  5–0  Iraq
Report
Thailand  2–1  North Korea
Report

Group C

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1   South Korea 3 2 1 0 7 3 +4 7 Knockout stage
2   Australia 3 1 2 0 4 3 +1 5
3   Jordan 3 1 1 1 4 5 −1 4
4   Vietnam 3 0 0 3 3 7 −4 0
Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Vietnam  1–2  Jordan
Report
South Korea  1–1  Australia
Report

Australia  2–1  Vietnam
Report
Jordan  1–3  South Korea
Report

Vietnam  1–3  South Korea
Report
Australia  1–1  Jordan
Report

Group D

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1   Saudi Arabia 3 3 0 0 6 2 +4 9 Knockout stage
2   Tajikistan 3 1 1 1 4 5 −1 4
3   China 3 1 0 2 2 2 0 3
4   Malaysia 3 0 1 2 3 6 −3 1
Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Saudi Arabia  2–1  Malaysia
Report
Tajikistan  1–0  China
Report

China  0–1  Saudi Arabia
Report
Malaysia  2–2  Tajikistan
Report

Saudi Arabia  3–1  Tajikistan
Report
China  2–0  Malaysia
Report

Knockout stage

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In the knockout stage, extra time and penalty shoot-out are used to decide the winner if necessary.[15]

Bracket

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Quarter-finalsSemi-finalsFinal
 
          
 
28 October – Jakarta
 
 
  Qatar (a.e.t.)7
 
1 November – Cibinong
 
  Thailand3
 
  Qatar1
 
29 October – Bekasi
 
  South Korea3
 
  South Korea1
 
4 November – Cibinong
 
  Tajikistan0
 
  South Korea1
 
28 October – Jakarta
 
  Saudi Arabia2
 
  Japan2
 
1 November – Cibinong
 
  Indonesia0
 
  Japan0
 
29 October – Bekasi
 
  Saudi Arabia2
 
  Saudi Arabia3
 
 
  Australia1
 

Quarter-finals

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Winners qualified for the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup.

Qatar  7–3 (a.e.t.)  Thailand
Report

Japan  2–0  Indonesia
Report

South Korea  1–0  Tajikistan
Report

Saudi Arabia  3–1  Australia
Report

Semi-finals

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Qatar  1–3  South Korea
Report

Japan  0–2  Saudi Arabia
Report
Attendance: 311
Referee: Ahmed Al-Ali (Jordan)

Final

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South Korea  1–2  Saudi Arabia
Report

Winners

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 2018 AFC U-19 Championship 
 
Saudi Arabia
Third title

Awards

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The following awards were given at the conclusion of the tournament:

Top Goalscorer[17] Most Valuable Player[18] Fair Play award[18]
  Abdulrasheed Umaru   Turki Al-Ammar   Saudi Arabia

Goalscorers

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There were 117 goals scored in 31 matches, for an average of 3.77 goals per match.

7 goals

5 goals

4 goals

3 goals

2 goals

1 goal

1 own goal

Qualified teams for FIFA U-20 World Cup

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The following four teams from AFC qualified for the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup.

Team Qualified on Previous appearances in FIFA U-20 World Cup1
  Qatar 28 October 2018[19] 3 (1981, 1995, 2015)
  Japan 28 October 2018[19] 9 (1979, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2017)
  South Korea 29 October 2018[20] 14 (1979, 1981, 1983, 1991, 1993, 1997, 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2017)
  Saudi Arabia 29 October 2018[20] 8 (1985, 1987, 1989, 1993, 1999, 2003, 2011, 2017)
1 Bold indicates champions for that year. Italic indicates hosts for that year.

Concerns and controversies

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An error was made before the start of Jordan–South Korea Group C match on 22 October 2018, where the operator played North Korean national anthem instead of South Korean national anthem.[21] The wrong anthem was stopped immediately[22] and the operator has since been replaced.[23]

References

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  1. ^ "AFC Competitions Committee's decisions published". AFC. 25 July 2017.
  2. ^ "AFC Competitions Calendar 2018". AFC. 11 January 2018. Archived from the original on 14 February 2018.
  3. ^ "AFC Competitions Calendar 2017" (PDF). AFC. 12 April 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 April 2017.
  4. ^ "A stroll for Korea Republic, Azeman shines in Malaysian win". AFC. 4 November 2017.
  5. ^ "Vietnam, Chinese Taipei enjoy perfect starts". AFC. 4 November 2017.
  6. ^ "Vietnam seal finals spot, Macau remain hopeful". AFC. 6 November 2017.
  7. ^ "Vietnam end campaign in style". AFC. 8 November 2017.
  8. ^ "Qatar top group after nail-biting win over Iraq". AFC. 9 November 2017.
  9. ^ "Qatar reach AFC U 19 championship". qfa. 8 November 2017.
  10. ^ "Cast finalised for AFC U-19 Championship 2018". AFC. 9 November 2017.
  11. ^ S. W. Pope; John Nauright (17 December 2009). Routledge Companion to Sports History. Routledge. pp. 595–. ISBN 978-1-135-97813-6.
  12. ^ "Asia's best identify opponents for Indonesia 2018". AFC. 18 May 2018.
  13. ^ "Facts to know before the Final Draw". AFC. 17 May 2018.
  14. ^ "AFC U-19 Championship Indonesia 2018 - Final Draw". AFC. 18 May 2018.
  15. ^ a b c "Regulations AFC U-19 Championship 2018". AFC. Archived from the original on 14 October 2018.
  16. ^ "FIFA Referees News: 2018 AFC U-19 Championship - Final". 4 November 2018.
  17. ^ "Qatar's Abdulrasheed Umaru lands Top Scorer award". AFC. 4 November 2018.
  18. ^ a b "Turki Al Ammar claims MVP". AFC. 4 November 2018.
  19. ^ a b "Qatar, Japan qualify for Poland 2019". FIFA.com. 28 October 2018. Archived from the original on October 28, 2018.
  20. ^ a b "Korea Republic, Saudi Arabia complete Asia's Poland-bound quartet". FIFA.com. 29 October 2018. Archived from the original on October 29, 2018.
  21. ^ "North's anthem played for South Korea at U19 football tournament". Inquirer.net. 23 October 2018. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  22. ^ "AFC Statement on Korea Republic National Anthem". AFC. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  23. ^ Indriawati, Tri (23 October 2018). "Ada Lagu Kebangsaan Korut pada Pembukaan Laga Yordania Vs Korsel". Kompas (in Indonesian). Retrieved 24 October 2018.
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