2008 AFC Challenge Cup

Infobox International Football Competition
tourney_name =
year = 2008
othertitles =


size = 180px
caption = Logo of the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup
country = India
dates = 30 July – 13 August
finalists = 16
venues = 3
cities = 2
champion = IND
count = 1
second = TJK
third = PRK
matches = 15
goals =
attendance = 20000
top_scorer = flagicon|PRK Pak Song-Chol (6 goals)
player = flagicon|IND Baichung Bhutia
updated =

The 2008 AFC Challenge Cup football tournament was won by India. The tournament, which was also hosted by India, was played from July 30 to August 13 2008 [ [http://roonba.50webs.com/news.htm The Roon Ba News, 17th December 2007] ] . India also won the fair play award and the Indian captain Baichung Bhutia won the most valuable player award.

Chinese Taipei was the designated host, but could not guarantee it would meet the AFC's standards for hosting the tournament. [ [http://uk.reuters.com/article/worldFootballNews/idUKSP28051520071129?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldFootballNews Thailand replaces Taiwan as 2008 Challenge Cup host] ] The winners of the 2008 and 2010 competitions will qualify for the Asian Cup 2011. This competition is exclusive to the lower ranking Asian nations. However, in the previous edition, Bangladesh and India were invited from the middle-ranking teams - Bangladesh actually hosting the tournament, and India sending their U-20 team. According to a source from Bangladesh [cite web|url=http://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/search_index.php?page=detail_news&news_id=16890|title=AFC invites Bangladesh to Challenge Cup] , as well as the 16 lower-ranking teams (apparently not including Macao), India and Bangladesh have again been invited for the 2008 tournament from the middle tier of nations, along with North Korea and Laos.

Laos withdrew from the competition on 2 May. [cite web|url=http://www.the-afc.com/eng/articles/viewArticle.jsp_166396249.html|title=Laos withdraws from Challenge Cup ] Palestine withdrew from the competition on 14 May. [cite web|url=http://www.the-afc.com/eng/articles/viewArticle.jsp_166527064.html|title=Palestine withdraws from Challenge Cup ]

Due to the poor condition of the pitch at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium, the AFC switched the matches between the venue. So now 10 matches were played at the Gachibowli Athletic Stadium, and two at the LB Stadium. [cite web|url=http://www.goal.com/en/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=793365|title=AFC Challenge Cup Venues Changed] Due to incessant rains in Hyderabad in the days leading to the final, AFC changed the venue of the final and the third place playoff to the Ambedkar Stadium, New Delhi. [cite web|url=http://www.ptinews.com/pti%5Cptisite.nsf/0/3E92C44EBC6E6A71652574A10024F671?OpenDocument|title=New Delhi to host AFC Challenge Cup final on Aug 13]

Tournament

Qualification shall take place in one round with twenty national teams competing. The top team from each group will qualify for the tournament proper, bringing the total number of participating teams in the centralised finals to eight. fb|North Korea, fb|Turkmenistan, fb|India and fb|Myanmar are automatically qualified. fb|Mongolia and fb|East Timor decided not to take part. [ [http://www.the-afc.com/eng/articles/viewArticle.jsp_164921586.html AFC Asian Cup 2011 and AFC Challenge Cup 2008: AFC announces seedings and revised qualification process] ]

eedings

Bold Type is qualified Teams, "Italics" a withdrawn Teams
#fb|PRK
#fb|TKM
#fb|IND
#fb|MYA5. fb|TJK
6. fb|SRI
7. fb|NEP
8. fb|KGZ9. "fb|PLE" (Withdrew at May 14, 2008)
10. fb|TPE
11. fb|BAN
12. fb|BRU13. fb|PAK
14. fb|CAM
15. fb|PHI
16. fb|AFG17. fb|BHU
18. fb|MAC
19. fb|GUM
20. "fb|LAO" (Withdrew at May 2, 2008)

Qualification

The following teams have qualified for the final tournament:
*fb|North Korea
*fb|Turkmenistan
*fb|India
*fb|Myanmar
*fb|Sri Lanka
*fb|Afghanistan
*fb|Tajikistan
*fb|Nepal

Final tournament

"All times are Indian Standard Time (IST) -

Group A

footballbox
date = 2008-07-30
time = 16:00
team1 = fb-rt|TKM
score = 0 – 0
report = [http://images.the-afc.com/Documents/competitions/fixtures/252-1708.pdf Report]
team2 = fb|TJK
goals1 =
goals2 =
stadium = Gachibowli Athletic Stadium, Hyderabad
attendance = 150
referee = Kovalenko (Uzbekistan)-----footballbox
date = 2008-07-30
time = 18:30
team1 = fb-rt|IND
score = 1 – 0
report = [http://images.the-afc.com/Documents/competitions/fixtures/252-1707.pdf Report]
team2 = fb|AFG
goals1 = Climax Lawrence goal|90+2
goals2 =
stadium = Gachibowli Athletic Stadium, Hyderabad
attendance = 300
referee = Iemoto (Japan)-----footballbox
date = 2008-08-01
time = 16:00
team1 = fb-rt|TJK
score = 1 – 1
report = [http://images.the-afc.com/Documents/competitions/fixtures/252-1709.pdf Report]
team2 = fb|IND
goals1 = Yusuf Rabiev goal|11
goals2 = Alisher Tuychiev goal|61|og
stadium = Gachibowli Athletic Stadium, Hyderabad
attendance = 350
referee = Shamsuzzaman (Bangladesh)-----footballbox
date = 2008-08-01
time = 18:30
team1 = fb-rt|AFG
score = 0 – 5
report = [http://images.the-afc.com/Documents/competitions/fixtures/252-1716.pdf Report]
team2 = fb|TKM
goals1 =
goals2 = Guvanchmuhamed Ovekov goal|1 goal|41 goal|76 goal|80 Vyaceslav Krendelev goal|24
stadium = Gachibowli Athletic Stadium, Hyderabad
attendance = 100
referee = Saleem (Maldives)

-----footballbox
date = 2008-08-03
time = 18:30
team1 = fb-rt|TKM
score = 1 – 2
report = [http://images.the-afc.com/Documents/competitions/fixtures/252-1711.pdf Report]
team2 = fb|IND
goals1 = Yusup Orazmamedov goal|85
goals2 = Baichung Bhutia goal|54 goal|80
stadium = Gachibowli Athletic Stadium, Hyderabad
attendance = 1,000
referee = Al-Senan (UAE)-----footballbox
date = 2008-08-03
time = 18:30
team1 = fb-rt|AFG
score = 0 – 4
report = [http://images.the-afc.com/Documents/competitions/fixtures/252-1710.pdf Report]
team2 = fb|TJK
goals1 =
goals2 = Yusuf Rabiev goal|14 goal|44 goal|59 Davrondzhon Tukhtasunov goal|39
stadium = Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium, Hyderabad
attendance = 150
referee = Vo Minh Tri (Vientam)-----

Group B

footballbox
date = 2008-07-31
time = 16:00
team1 = fb-rt|PRK
score = 3 – 0
report = [http://images.the-afc.com/Documents/competitions/fixtures/252-1718.pdf Report]
team2 = fb|SRI
goals1 = MPW Madushka Peiris goal|5|og Pak Song-Chol goal|9 goal|27
goals2 =
stadium = Gachibowli Athletic Stadium, Hyderabad
attendance = 100
referee = Vo Minh Tri (Vietnam)-----footballbox
date = 2008-07-31
time = 18:30
team1 = fb-rt|MYA
score = 3 – 0
report = [http://images.the-afc.com/Documents/competitions/fixtures/252-1717.pdf Report]
team2 = fb|NEP
goals1 = Yaza Win Thein goal|66 Myo Min Tun goal|76 Soe Myat Min goal|86
goals2 =
stadium = Gachibowli Athletic Stadium, Hyderabad
attendance = 150
referee = Al-Senan (UAE)-----footballbox
date = 2008-08-02
time = 16:00
team1 = fb-rt|SRI
score = 1 – 3
report = [http://images.the-afc.com/Documents/competitions/fixtures/252-1715.pdf Report]
team2 = fb|MYA
goals1 = Kasun Jayasuriya goal|51
goals2 = Soe Myat Min goal|47 Yan Paing goal|70 Si Thu Win goal|85
stadium = Gachibowli Athletic Stadium, Hyderabad
attendance = 100
referee = Kovalenko (Uzbekistan)-----footballbox
date = 2008-08-02
time = 18:30
team1 = fb-rt|NEP
score = 0 – 1
report = [http://images.the-afc.com/Documents/competitions/fixtures/252-1714.pdf Report]
team2 = fb|PRK
goals1 =
goals2 = Pak Song-Chol goal|39
stadium = Gachibowli Athletic Stadium, Hyderabad
attendance = 100
referee = Iemoto (Japan)-----footballbox
date = 2008-08-04
time = 18:30 IST
team1 = fb-rt|PRK
score = 1 – 0
report = [http://images.the-afc.com/Documents/competitions/fixtures/252-1713.pdf Report]
team2 = fb|MYA
goals1 = Ro Hak-Su goal|15
goals2 =
stadium = Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium, Hyderabad
attendance = 100
referee = Shamsuzzaman (Bangladesh)-----footballbox
date = 2008-08-04
time = 18:30
team1 = fb-rt|NEP
score = 3 – 0
report = [http://images.the-afc.com/Documents/competitions/fixtures/252-1712.pdf Report]
team2 = fb|SRI
goals1 = Santosh Shahukhala goal|14 Ju Manu Rai goal|55 Anjan K.C. goal|68
goals2 =
stadium = Gachibowli Athletic Stadium, Hyderabad
attendance = 200
referee = Saleem (Maldives)

Knockout stage

emi-finals

footballbox
date = 2008-08-07
time = 16:00
team1 = fb-rt|IND
score = 1 – 0
report = [http://images.the-afc.com/Documents/competitions/fixtures/252-1811.pdf Report]
team2 = fb|MYA
goals1 = Sunil Chetri goal|82
goals2 =
stadium = Gachibowli Athletic Stadium, Hyderabad
attendance = 1,500
referee = Shamsuzzaman (Bangladesh)-----footballbox
date = 2008-08-07
time = 19:30
team1 = fb-rt|PRK
score = 0 – 1
report = [http://images.the-afc.com/Documents/competitions/fixtures/252-1810.pdf Report]
team2 = fb|TJK
goals1 =
goals2 = Dzhomikhon Muhidinov goal|39
stadium = Gachibowli Athletic Stadium, Hyderabad
attendance = 600
referee = Iemoto (Japan)

Play-off for third place

footballbox
date = 2008-08-13
time = 16:00
team1 = fb-rt|MYA
score = 0 – 4
report = [http://images.the-afc.com/Documents/competitions/fixtures/252-1812.pdf Report]
team2 = fb|PRK
goals1 =
goals2 = Pak Song-Chol goal|10 goal|12 goal|44|pen Rok Hak-Su goal|53
stadium = Ambedkar Stadium, New Delhi
attendance = 1,000
referee = Al-Senan (UAE)

Final

footballbox
date = 2008-08-13
time = 19:00
team1 = fb-rt|IND
score = 4 – 1
report = [http://images.the-afc.com/Documents/competitions/fixtures/252-1813.pdf Report]
team2 = fb|TJK
goals1 = Sunil Chetri goal|9 goal|23 goal|75 Baichung Bhutia goal|19
goals2 = Fatkhullo Fatkhuloev goal|45+1
stadium = Ambedkar Stadium, New Delhi [ [http://www.espnstar.com/football/other-football/news/detail/item100458/AFC-Challenge-Cup-final-shifted/ AFC Challenge Cup final shifted] ]
attendance = 10,000
referee = Kovalenko (Uzbekistan)

Goalscorers

;6 Goals
* Pak Song-Chol

;4 Goals
* Guvanchmuhamed Ovekov
* Yusuf Rabiev
* Sunil Chetri

;3 Goals
* Baichung Bhutia

;2 Goals
* Soe Myat Min
* Ro Hak-Su

;1 Goal
* Climax Lawrence
* Yaza Win Thein
* Myo Min Tun
* Kasun Jayasuriya

;1 Goal (Continued)
* Vyaceslav Krendelev
* Yan Paing
* Si Thu Win
* Davrondzhon Tukhtasunov
* Yusup Orazmamedov
* Santosh Shahukhala
* Ju Manu Rai
* Anjan K.C.
* Dzhomikhon Muhidinov
* Fatkhuloev Fatkhullo ;Own Goals
* MPW Madushka Peiris "(Playing against Korea DPR)"
* Alisher Tuychiev "(Playing against India)"

References

External links

* [http://www.the-afc.com/eng/competitions/news/index.jsp_ACC-08-08-535-1.html Offical Site]
* [http://indianfootball.com/data/afcchallengecup2008.html Stats at a glance]