The 2007 AFC Champions League final was a two-legged association football tie to determine the 2007 champions of Asian club football. Urawa Red Diamonds from Japan defeated Iran's Sepahan 3-1 on aggregate to take the title. The first leg took place on 7 November 2007 at 16:00 local time (UTC+3:30) at Foolad Shahr Stadium in Fooladshahr, Isfahan in Iran and the second leg took place on 14 November 2007 at 19:20 local time (UTC+9) at Saitama Stadium, Saitama, Japan.
This was the first final to feature clubs from Iran and Japan. This was the first AFC Champions League final involving an Iranian club, and the first in an Asian top club football competition since PAS Tehran in the 1992–93 Asian Club Championship. The winners, Urawa Red Diamonds, received US$600,000 prize money and qualified to represent Asia in the 2007 FIFA Club World Cup. Although they were defeated, Sepahan still competed in the FIFA Club World Cup by replacing the normal host country berth, which is reserved for the J. League champions.
Format The rules for the final were exactly the same as for the previous knockout rounds. The tie was contested over two legs with away goals deciding the winner if the two teams were level on goals after the second leg. If the teams could still not be separated at that stage then extra time would have been played with a penalty shootout taking place if the teams were still level after that.
Route to the final
Sepahan OpponentsRoundH/AScore1Sepahan goalscorers Al IttihadGroup StageH2–1Mehdi Seyed-Salehi(2) Al ShababGroup StageA1–0Mehdi Seyed-Salehi Al AinGroup StageA2–3Mehdi Seyed-Salehi, Emad Mohammed Al AinGroup StageH1–1Hossein Papi Al IttihadGroup StageA5–0Abdul-Wahab Abu Al-Hail, Mohammad Nouri(2), Emad Mohammed(2) Al ShababGroup StageH1–0Mehdi Seyed-Salehi Kawasaki FrontaleQuarter Final, Leg 1H0–0 Kawasaki FrontaleQuarter Final, Leg 2A0–0(p5–4) Al WahdaSemi Final, Leg 1H3–1Mahmoud Karimi(2), Moharram Navidkia Al WahdaSemi Final, Leg 2A0–0 1Sepahan's goals always recorded first.
Urawa Red Diamonds OpponentsRoundH/AScore1Urawa Reds goalscorers Persik KediriGroup StageH3–0Yamada, Nagai, Ono Sydney FCGroup StageA2–2Ponte, Nagai Shanghai ShenhuaGroup StageH1–0Abe Shanghai ShenhuaGroup StageA0–0 Persik KediriGroup StageA3–3Ono, Ponte, Abe Sydney FCGroup StageH0–0 Jeonbuk MotorsQuarter Final, Leg 1H2–1Hasebe, Tatsuya Tanaka Jeonbuk MotorsQuarter Final, Leg 2A2–0Tatsuya Tanaka, Own Goal Seongnam IlhwaSemi Final, Leg 1A2–2Tatsuya Tanaka, Ponte Seongnam IlhwaSemi Final, Leg 2H2–2(p5–3)Washington, Hasebe 1Urawa Red Diamonds' goals always recorded first.
Final summary
First leg
SEPAHAN: GK 1 Abbas MohammadiDF 5 Hadi AghiliDF 8 Mohsen Bengar DF 17 Jaba MujiriMF 4 Moharram Navidkia (c)MF 6 Jalal Akbari MF 12 Abdul-Wahab Abu Al-HailMF 21 Saeid BayatMF 28 Ehsan Hajsafi FW 13 Mahmoud Karimi FW 20 Emad Mohammed Substitutes:GK 22 Mohammad SavariGK 24 Masoud HomamiDF 2 Hamid AzizzadehDF 7 Farshad BahadoraniMF 11 Hossein Kazemi FW 18 Mohsen Hamidi MF 19 Jalaleddin AlimohammadiFW 23 Mehdi Seyed-SalehiMF 25 Ebrahim Loveinian MF 29 Behzad SoltaniMF 30 Hossein PapiManager: Luka BonačićURAWA REDS: GK 23 Ryota TsuzukiRB 2 Keisuke TsuboiCB 5 NenêCB 17 Makoto HasebeLB 20 Satoshi HorinouchiCM 13 Keita Suzuki (c)CM 22 Yuki AbeRW 14 Tadaaki HirakawaAM 10 Robson PonteLW 9 Yuichiro Nagai CF 21 WashingtonSubstitutes:GK 1 Norihiro YamagishiGK 28 Nobuhiro KatoDF 12 Shunsuke TsutsumiDF 19 Hideki UchidateMF 3 Hajime HosogaiMF 16 Takahito SomaMF 27 Yoshiya NishizawaMF 30 Masayuki OkanoFW 11 Tatsuya Tanaka FW 18 Junki KoikeManager: Holger Osieck
Second leg
URAWA REDS: GK 23 Ryota TsuzukiRB 2 Keisuke TsuboiCB 17 Makoto Hasebe CB 4 Marcus Túlio TanakaLB 20 Satoshi HorinouchiCM 13 Keita Suzuki (c)CM 22 Yuki AbeRW 14 Tadaaki HirakawaAM 10 Robson Ponte LW 9 Yuichiro Nagai CF 21 Washington Substitutes:GK 1 Norihiro YamagishiDF 5 NenêDF 12 Shunsuke TsutsumiDF 19 Hideki Uchidate MF 16 Takahito SomaMF 30 Masayuki Okano FW 11 Tatsuya Tanaka FW 18 Junki KoikeManager: Holger OsieckSEPAHAN: GK 1 Abbas MohammadiDF 5 Hadi AghiliDF 8 Mohsen Bengar DF 17 Jaba MujiriMF 4 Moharram Navidkia (c)MF 12 Abdul-Wahab Abu Al-HailMF 21 Saeid Bayat MF 25 Ebrahim LoveinianMF 28 Ehsan HajsafiFW 18 Mohsen Hamidi FW 20 Emad Mohammed Substitutes:GK 22 Mohammad SavariGK 24 Masoud HomamiDF 2 Hamid AzizzadehDF 6 Jalal AkbariDF 7 Farshad BahadoraniMF 9 Hadi JafariMF 11 Hossein Kazemi MF 19 Amir RadiMF 29 Behzad SoltaniMF 30 Hossein Papi FW 13 Mahmoud Karimi FW 23 Mehdi Seyed-SalehiManager: Luka Bonačić
See also 2007 AFC Champions League 2007 FIFA Club World Cup
External links Sepahan Official club website Urawa Red Diamonds Official Site