2006_AFC_Challenge_Cup
2006 AFC Challenge Cup
International football competition
The 2006 AFC Challenge Cup was held between 1 and 16 April 2006 in Bangladesh. Sixteen teams were split into four groups, the top two in each group qualifying for the quarterfinals, and from then on a straight knockout contest. There was no qualification stage. The cup winner was Tajikistan. The fair play award was won by Sri Lanka and Tajik Ibrahim Rabimov won the most valuable player award.[1]
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | Bangladesh |
| Dates | 1–16 April |
| Venue(s) | 3 (in 2 host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Tajikistan (1st title) |
| Runners-up |  Sri Lanka |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 31 |
| Goals scored | 82 (2.65 per match) |
| Attendance | 150,150 (4,844 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |  Fahed Attal (8 goals) |
| Best player(s) | Ibrahim Rabimov |
2008 → | |
The AFC classed seventeen nations as emerging associations, which need time to develop their football.[2] They were selected in August 2005 to take part. Laos, Mongolia, and Timor-Leste were initially selected to participate, but were later replaced by Bangladesh and India of the developing associations class, reducing the number of participating teams to sixteen.
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The AFC decided at its annual meeting, that Bangladesh would host the opening ceremony and that Nepal would host the final unless Bangladesh makes it into the last two, in which case it would be held in Dhaka, its capital.[3][4] It was originally planned that the teams in Groups A and B would play their games in Nepal and that teams in Groups C and D would play in Bangladesh, but due to the political unrest that shook Nepal, it was decided that only Bangladesh would host the tournament.[5][6][7][8] The Challenge Cup was originally scheduled to take place between 26 March to 9 April 2006 but was changed to avoid clashes with Bangladesh's Independence Day on 26 March.[9] The two stadia that were selected to be used during this tournament were: the Bangabandhu Stadium in Dhaka and the MA Aziz Stadium in Chittagong. However, the Bangladesh Army Stadium in Dhaka was later used to make-up the matches that were abandoned due to heavy rain.
| Dhaka | Chittagong | |
|---|---|---|
| Bangabandhu National Stadium | Bangladesh Army Stadium | M. A. Aziz Stadium |
| Capacity: 36,000 | Capacity: 20,000 | Capacity: 40,000 |
Some teams did not take part with their 'main' national squad, as noted below:
- India decided to field their under-20 team in preparation for the AFC Youth Championship they were later hosting.
- Kyrgyzstan took part with a young squad, made up mostly of players from their under-20 team which had qualified for the AFC Youth Championship.[10]
All times are Bangladesh Standard Time (BST) – UTC+6
| Key to colours in group tables |
|---|
| Top two placed teams advance to the quarter-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:
- points earned in the matches between the teams concerned;
- goal difference in the matches between the teams concerned;
- number of goals scored in the group matches between the teams concerned;
- goal difference in all group matches;
- number of goals scored in all group matches;
- kicks from the penalty mark (if only two teams are level and they are both on the field of play);
- fewer yellow and red cards received in the group matches;
- drawing of lots by the organising committee.
Group A
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 India U20 |
3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 5 |
 Chinese Taipei |
3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 5 |
 Philippines |
3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 2 |
 Afghanistan |
3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 | −2 | 2 |
| Afghanistan | 2–2 | Chinese Taipei |
|---|---|---|
Qadami  20', 23' |
Report | Chuang Wei-lun 48' Liang Chien-wei 73' |
| Philippines | 1–1 | Afghanistan |
|---|---|---|
| Valeroso 59' |
Report | Maqsood 28' |
Group B
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sri Lanka |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 7 |
 Nepal |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 4 |
 Brunei |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
 Bhutan |
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | −3 | 1 |
Group C
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palestine |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 1 | +15 | 7 |
 Bangladesh |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 7 |
 Cambodia |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | −2 | 3 |
 Guam |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 17 | −17 | 0 |
| Palestine | 11–0 | Guam |
|---|---|---|
| Keshkesh 6' Attal 14', 20', 25', 32', 45+1', 86' Atura 22' Al Amour 39' Al-Kord 59', 67' |
Report |
| Cambodia | 3–0 | Guam |
|---|---|---|
| S. Buntheang 37' Kosal 40' K. Kumpheak 63' |
Report |
Group D
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tajikistan |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 1 | +5 | 6 |
 Kyrgyzstan |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 6 |
 Pakistan |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 4 |
 Macau |
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 8 | −6 | 1 |
| Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||
| 8 April - Chittagong | ||||||||||
| Chinese Taipei | 0 | |||||||||
| 12 April – Chittagong | ||||||||||
| Sri Lanka | 3 | |||||||||
| Sri Lanka (PSO) | 1 (5) | |||||||||
| 9 April - Chittagong | ||||||||||
| Nepal | 1 (3) | |||||||||
| India U20 | 0 | |||||||||
| 16 April – Dhaka | ||||||||||
| Nepal | 3 | |||||||||
| Sri Lanka | 0 | |||||||||
| 9 April - Dhaka | ||||||||||
| Tajikistan | 4 | |||||||||
| Palestine | 0 | |||||||||
| 13 April - Dhaka | ||||||||||
| Kyrgyzstan | 1 | |||||||||
| Kyrgyzstan | 0 | |||||||||
| 10 April - Dhaka | ||||||||||
| Tajikistan | 2 | |||||||||
| Bangladesh | 1 | |||||||||
| Tajikistan | 6 | |||||||||
Quarter-finals
| Sri Lanka | 3–0 | Chinese Taipei |
|---|---|---|
| Izzadeen 44' Sanjaya 70' Ratnayaka 90' |
Report |
| Tajikistan | 6–1 | Bangladesh |
|---|---|---|
| Rabimov 2' Mahmudov 20' Mukhidinov 31' Hakimov 51' Rabiev 65' Nematov 81' |
Report | Alfaz 17' |
Semi-finals
| Sri Lanka | 1–1 | Nepal |
|---|---|---|
| Kasun 65' |
Report | Basanta 82' |
| Penalties | ||
Fuard  Chathura Gunaratne Channa Ratnayaka |
5 – 3 | Anjan Tashi Nabin  Pradeep |
Final
| Sri Lanka | 0–4 | Tajikistan |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Mukhidinov 1', 61', 71'[note 1] Mahmudov 45' |
| 2006 AFC Challenge Cup champions |
|---|
 Tajikistan First title |
| Fair Play Award | Golden Shoe | Most Valuable Player | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sri Lanka |
Fahed Attal |
Ibrahim Rabimov |
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- "Victory a boost for Tajikistan football: Nazarov". The-AFC.com. Asian Football Confederation. Archived from the original on 12 September 2012. Retrieved 21 October 2009.
- "Opening ceremony of AFC Challenge Cup to be held in Bangladesh". Xinhua News Agency. Retrieved 30 November 2005.
- "AFC Challenge Cup opening ceremony in Bangladesh". The-AFC.com. Asian Football Confederation. Archived from the original on 31 August 2006. Retrieved 28 November 2005.
- "Bangladesh to be sole host of inaugural AFC Challenge Cup 2006". The AFC. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 21 February 2006.
- Acharya, Pawan (2006). "Nepal Dumped as AFC Cup Host". OhmyNews. Archived from the original on 3 December 2007. Retrieved 23 February 2006.
- "Nepal dumped as co-host of AFC Challenge Cup". Daily Times. Pakistan. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 22 February 2006.
- Kantipur (2006). "AFC dumps Nepal from co-hosting AFC Challenge Cup 2006". eKantipur.com. Archived from the original on 12 December 2007. Retrieved 20 February 2006.
- Kantipur (2006). "AFC dumps Nepal from co-hosting AFC Challenge Cup 2006". KantipurOnline.com. Archived from the original on 12 December 2007. Retrieved 20 February 2006.
- "Podkorytov is Kyrgyzstan acting coach". The-AFC.com. Asian Football Confederation. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 21 February 2006.
- "Tajikistan lift inaugural AFC Challenge Cup". The-AFC.com. Asian Football Confederation. 19 April 2006. Archived from the original on 3 February 2013. Retrieved 8 July 2011.