AFC Challenge Cup 2014

AFC Challenge Cup 2014
AFC Challenge Cup 2014 ™
Number of nations	8  (of 19 applicants)
winner	Palestine (1st title)
venue	Maldives
Opening game	19th May 2014
Endgame	May 30, 2014
Games	16
Gates	35  (⌀: 2.19 per game)
Top scorer	Ashraf Alfawaghra (4 goals)
Best player	Murad Ismail Said

The finals of the fifth AFC Challenge Cup took place on May 19-30, 2014 in the Maldives . The winner of the competition ( Palestine ) qualified as the 16th team for the final round of the 2015 Asian Cup in Australia .

The Maldives were named to host the Challenge Cup on November 28, 2012. The games took place in the Rasmee Dhandu Stadium in Malé and in the Hithadhoo Zone Stadium in Addu City on the Addu Atoll . On January 13, 2014, renovation work began in both stadiums.

qualification

→ Main article : AFC Challenge Cup 2014 / Qualification

The Maldives were automatically qualified to host. By the official registration deadline, 20 member associations had registered to participate. These were divided into five groups with four teams each, which were to play against each other in tournament mode. The group winners and the two best runners-up qualified for the finals.

Attendees

country	Qualified as	Qualified on	Previous participation in the tournament
Maldives	host	November 28, 2012	1 ( 2012 )
Afghanistan	Group C winner	March 6, 2013	2 ( 2006 , 2008 )
Myanmar	Group A winner	March 6, 2013	2 ( 2008 , 2010 )
Palestine	Group D winner	March 6, 2013	2 ( 2006 , 2012 )
Laos	best runner-up	21st March 2013	0 (none)
Kyrgyzstan	Group B winner	21st March 2013	2 ( 2006 , 2010 )
Philippines	Group E winner	March 26, 2013	2 ( 2006 , 2012 )
Turkmenistan	second best runner-up	March 26, 2013	3 ( 2008 , 2010 , 2012 )

Games and results

Preliminary round

Four teams each competed in two groups (A and B) in the championship system, ie each team played once against each other team in the group. In the group stage, a win counts three, a draw counts one point, a defeat counts no points. The points are added up in the table for the respective group.

In the event of a tie between two teams, the table position and progress will be decided in the following order: the direct encounters between the teams concerned (higher number of points, goal difference, goals scored), goal difference and higher number of goals scored from all group matches and finally the lot.

Group A

rank	country	Gates	Points
1	Palestine	3-0	7th
2	Maldives	4: 3	4th
3	Myanmar	3: 5	3
4th	Kyrgyzstan	1: 3	3

May 19, 2014 in Malé
Palestine	-	Kyrgyzstan	1: 0 (0: 0)
May 19, 2014 in Malé
Maldives	-	Myanmar	2: 3 (0: 2)
May 21, 2014 in Male
Myanmar	-	Palestine	0: 2 (0: 1)
May 21, 2014 in Male
Kyrgyzstan	-	Maldives	0: 2 (0: 0)
May 23, 2014 in Male
Maldives	-	Palestine	0-0
May 23, 2014 in Addu City
Kyrgyzstan	-	Myanmar	1: 0 (1: 0)

Group B

rank	country	Gates	Points
1	Philippines	4-0	7th
2	Afghanistan	3: 1	5
3	Turkmenistan	6: 6	3
4th	Laos	1: 7	1

May 20, 2014 in Addu City
Turkmenistan	-	Laos	5: 1 (1: 1)
May 20, 2014 in Addu City
Philippines	-	Afghanistan	0-0
May 22, 2014 in Addu City
Laos	-	Philippines	0: 2 (0: 1)
May 22, 2014 in Addu City
Afghanistan	-	Turkmenistan	3: 1 (1: 0)
May 24, 2014 in Male
Turkmenistan	-	Philippines	0: 2 (0: 0)
May 24, 2014 in Addu City
Afghanistan	-	Laos	0-0

Final round

In the semi-finals and in the final, the knockout system was used . If the games of the final round were tied after the regular playing time of 90 minutes, there was extra time of 15 minutes and then in the game for third place there was a penalty shoot-out , since there was no team in front after extra time.

Semifinals

May 27, 2014	Times	Palestine - Afghanistan	2: 0 (1: 0)
May 27, 2014	Times	Philippines - Maldives	3: 2 n.V. (2: 2, 2: 1)

Game for third place

May 29, 2014

Times

Afghanistan - Maldives

1: 1 n.V. (0: 0, 0: 0) 7: 8 i. E.

final

Palestine		Philippines
	May 30, 2014 in Malé ( Rasmee Dhandu Stadium ) Result: 1: 0 (0: 0) Spectators: 6,300 Referee: Valentin Kovalenko
	Ramzi Saleh ; Raed Fares , Haytham Theeb , Abdallatif MS Albahdari ; Imad HM Zaatara (90th + 1 ' Omar BO Jaaron ), Khader Abuhhamad , Murad Said ; Ashraf Alfawaghra , Helal Mousa (77th Husam Abusalah ), Abdallh N Jaber , Abdulhamid FM Abuhabib (86th Mousa Abujazar ) Trainer: Jamal Mahmoud	Roland Müller ; Robert Gier , Daisuke Satō , Amani Aguinaldo , Simone Rota (82nd Kenshiro Daniels ); Jason de Jong , Stephan Schröck (46th Jerry Lucena ), Martin Steuble , Paul Mulders (73rd Jose Porteria ); Phil Younghusband , Patrick Reichelt Trainer: Thomas Dooley
	1-0 Ashraf Alfawaghra (59th)
	Abdulhamid FM Abuhabib (83rd), Ashraf Alfawaghra (90th + 4 ')	Patrick Reichelt (69th), Martin Steuble (90th + 5 ')

Goalscorer list

4 goals

• Ashraf Alfawaghra

2 goals

• Ali Ashfaq
• Patrick Reichelt
• Phil Younghusband
• Umair
• Abdulhamid FM Abuhabib
• Kyaw Ko Ko
• Durdiyev Didar

Web links

• Curious penalty as a YouTube hit: run-up, belly landing, goal! Article with video on Spiegel Online about a penalty in the game for third place; May 31, 2014.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Maldives to host 2014 AFC Challenge Cup ( Memento from April 11, 2013 in the web archive archive.today ), the-afc.com from November 28, 2012 (accessed on February 15, 2014).
2. ↑ Shimaz Ali: Minister announces full support to FAM to organize Challenge Cup ( Memento of December 11, 2012 in the Internet Archive ), maldivesoccer.com of November 29, 2012 (accessed on February 15, 2014).
3. ↑ Shimaz Ali: Renovation works starts ( Memento from January 16, 2014 in the Internet Archive ), maldivesoccer.com from January 13, 2014 (accessed on February 15, 2014).