2012 AFC Challenge Cup

The 2012 AFC Challenge Cup was the fourth edition of the tournament, an international football competition for Asian Football Confederation (AFC) member nations that are mainly categorized as "emerging countries" in the defunct Vision Asia programme. It took place in Nepal from 8–19 March 2012.^[1] Unlike in previous editions of the tournament, there were no automatic qualifiers. Therefore, 2010 champions North Korea, runners-up Turkmenistan, and third-placed Tajikistan had to navigate the qualification phase in order to return to the finals.^[2] North Korea successfully defended their title and qualified for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup.^[3]

2012 AFC Challenge Cup

एएफसी च्यालेन्ज कप फुटबल-२०१२
Logo of the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup
Tournament details
Host country	Nepal
Dates	8–19 March
Teams	8
Venue(s)	2 (in 1 host city)
Final positions
Champions	North Korea (2nd title)
Runners-up	Turkmenistan
Third place	Philippines
Fourth place	Palestine
Tournament statistics
Matches played	16
Goals scored	42 (2.63 per match)
Attendance	50,000 (3,125 per match)
Top scorer(s)	Phil Younghusband (6 goals)
Best player(s)	Pak Nam-chol
← 2010 2014 →

Hosts

Maldives, Nepal, and Palestine expressed an interest to bid to host the tournament. A decision on which country would be hosts was set to be made by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) on 14 June 2011,^[4] but was deferred until the AFC Executive Committee on 29 July 2011.^[5] The committee decided to endorse Nepal as the hosts of the AFC Challenge Cup 2012 Finals.^[6]

Venues

Kathmandu
Dasarath Rangasala Stadium	Halchowk Stadium
Capacity: 17,800	Capacity: 3,500
Kathmandu

Qualification

Main article: 2012 AFC Challenge Cup qualification

The qualification stage saw 20 eligible member associations compete in qualifiers.^[7]

• An initial pre-qualifying round (home and away) narrowed the field to 16 teams.
• The final qualifying round consist of four groups of four teams each with the group winners and runners-up qualifying.
• Only the eight teams that qualified for the tournament finals were permitted to bid to be hosts.

Qualified nations

•  Palestine – Qualification Group A winners
•  Philippines – Qualification Group A runners-up
•  India – Qualification Group B winners
•  Turkmenistan – Qualification Group B runners-up
•  Maldives – Qualification Group C winners
•  Tajikistan – Qualification Group C runners-up
•  North Korea – Qualification Group D winners
•    Nepal – Qualification Group D runners-up

Draw

The draw for the final tournament was held on 1 December 2011 at the Soaltee Crown Plaza Hotel in Kathmandu, Nepal.^[8]

Squads

Main article: 2012 AFC Challenge Cup squads

Each team could name a squad of 23 players.^[9]

Group stage

All times are Nepal Time (NPT) – UTC+5:45

Key to colours in group tables
Top two placed teams advance to the semi-finals

Tie-breaking criteria

The teams are ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a tie, 0 points for a loss) and tie breakers are in following order:^[9]

1. Greater number of points obtained in the group matches between the teams concerned;
2. Goal difference resulting from the group matches between the teams concerned;
3. Greater number of goals scored in the group matches between the teams concerned;
4. Goal difference in all the group matches;
5. Greater number of goals scored in all the group matches;
6. Kicks from the penalty mark if only two teams are involved and they are both on the field of play;
7. Fewer score calculated according to the number of yellow and red cards received in the group matches; (1 point for each yellow card, 3 points for each red card as a consequence of two yellow cards, 3 points for each direct red card, 4 points for each yellow card followed by a direct red card)
8. Drawing of lots.

Group A

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Turkmenistan	3	2	1	0	6	1	+5	7
Palestine	3	2	1	0	4	0	+4	7
Maldives	3	1	0	2	2	5	−3	3
Nepal	3	0	0	3	0	6	−6	0

Source: RSSSF

Turkmenistan	3–1	Maldives
Mingazow 33' Çoňkaýew 78' Amanow 85'	Report	Adhuham 20'

8 March 2012

15:00

Halchowk Stadium, Kathmandu

Attendance: 1,000

Referee: Yousef Al-Marzouq (Kuwait)

Nepal	0–2	Palestine
	Report	Attieh 4' Attal 65'

8 March 2012

17:00

Dasarath Rangasala Stadium, Kathmandu

Attendance: 12,300

Referee: Ryuji Sato (Japan)

---

Palestine	0–0	Turkmenistan
	Report

10 March 2012

15:00

Halchowk Stadium, Kathmandu

Attendance: 1,000

Referee: Ko Hyung-Jin (Korea Republic)

Maldives	1–0	Nepal
Rasheed 51'	Report

10 March 2012

17:00

Dasarath Rangasala Stadium, Kathmandu

Attendance: 15,000

Referee: Dmitriy Mashentsev (Kyrygyzstan)

---

Nepal	0–3	Turkmenistan
	Report	Tagaýew 7' Biraj 79' (o.g.) Hangeldiýew 89'

12 March 2012

15:00

Dasarath Rangasala Stadium, Kathmandu

Attendance: 2,400

Referee: Ali Sabbagh (Lebanon)

Maldives	0–2	Palestine
	Report	Wadi 59' Nu'man 90+4'

12 March 2012

15:00

Halchowk Stadium, Kathmandu

Attendance: 300

Referee: Dmitriy Mashentsev (Kyrygyzstan)

Group B

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
North Korea	3	3	0	0	8	0	+8	9
Philippines	3	2	0	1	4	3	+1	6
Tajikistan	3	1	0	2	3	4	−1	3
India	3	0	0	3	0	8	−8	0

Source: RSSSF

North Korea	2–0	Philippines
Pak Nam-chol I 58' Jang Kuk-chol 70'	Report

9 March 2012

15:00

Halchowk Stadium, Kathmandu

Attendance: 1,500

Referee: Pratap Singh (India)

India	0–2	Tajikistan
	Report	Khamroqulov 61' Davronov 66'

9 March 2012

17:00

Dasarath Rangasala Stadium, Kathmandu

Attendance: 700

Referee: Ali Sabbagh (Lebanon)

---

Tajikistan	0–2	North Korea
	Report	Pak Nam-chol I 4' Jang Kuk-chol 86'

11 March 2012

15:00

Halchowk Stadium, Kathmandu

Attendance: 1,000

Referee: Yousef Al-Marzouq (Kuwait)

Philippines	2–0	India
P. Younghusband 10', 73'	Report

11 March 2012

17:00

Dasarath Rangasala Stadium, Kathmandu

Attendance: 300

Referee: Chaiya Mahapab (Thailand)

---

North Korea	4–0	India
Jon Kwang-ik 3' Ri Kwang-hyok 34' Pak Nam-chol I 59' Ri Chol-myong 70'	Report

13 March 2012

15:00

Dasarath Rangasala Stadium, Kathmandu

Attendance: 200

Referee: Chaiya Mahapab (Thailand)

Tajikistan	1–2	Philippines
Negmatov 45+1'	Report	P. Younghusband 54' Á. Guirado 80'

13 March 2012

15:00

Halchowk Stadium, Kathmandu

Attendance: 800

Referee: Ryuji Sato (Japan)

Knockout stage

	Semi-finals				Final
	16 March
	Turkmenistan	2
					19 March
	Philippines	1
					Turkmenistan	1
	16 March
					North Korea	2
	North Korea	2
	Palestine	0
					Third place
					19 March
					Philippines	4
					Palestine	3

Semi-finals

Turkmenistan	2–1	Philippines
Amanow 80' Çoňkaýew 86'	Report	P. Younghusband 25'

16 March 2012

14:30

Dasarath Rangasala Stadium, Kathmandu

Attendance: 500

Referee: Ko Hyung-jin (Korea Republic)

---

North Korea	2–0	Palestine
Pak Kwang-ryong 42', 68'	Report

16 March 2012

18:30

Dasarath Rangasala Stadium, Kathmandu

Attendance: 3,000

Referee: Yousef Al-Marzouq (Kuwait)

Third place play-off

Philippines	4–3	Palestine
P. Younghusband 4', 25' (pen.) Á. Guirado 42' J. Guirado 69'	Report	Abuhabib 21', 67' Attal 78'

19 March 2012

14:30

Dasarath Rangasala Stadium, Kathmandu

Attendance: 1,000

Referee: Ali Sabbagh (Lebanon)

Final

Main article: 2012 AFC Challenge Cup Final

Turkmenistan	1–2	North Korea
Şamyradow 2'	Report	Jong Il-gwan 36' Jang Song-hyok 87' (pen.)

19 March 2012

18:30

Dasarath Rangasala Stadium, Kathmandu

Attendance: 9,000

Referee: Ryuji Sato (Japan)

Statistics

Winner

2012 AFC Challenge Cup champions
North Korea Second title

Individual awards

The following awards were given for the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup:^[10][11]

Fair Play Award			Golden Shoe			Most Valuable Player
North Korea			Phil Younghusband			Pak Nam-chol I

Team of the tournament

The team of the tournament – Dream Team in a 4-4-2 formation.

• Goalkeeper: Ri Myong-guk
• Defenders: Ri Kwang-hyok, Şöhrat Söýünow, Khaled Mahdi, Jon Kwang-ik
• Midfielders: Arslanmyrat Amanow, Guwanç Rejepow, Pak Nam-chol I, Jong Il-gwan
• Forwards: Pak Kwang-ryong, Phil Younghusband
• Coach: Yun Jong-su (North Korea)

Goalscorers

6 goals

• Phil Younghusband

3 goals

• Pak Nam-chol I

2 goals

• Jang Kuk-chol
• Pak Kwang-ryong
• Abdelhamid Abuhabib
• Fahed Attal
• Ángel Guirado
• Arslanmyrat Amanow
• Gahrymanberdi Çoňkaýew

1 goal

• Jang Song-hyok
• Jon Kwang-ik
• Jong Il-gwan
• Ri Chol-myong
• Ri Kwang-hyok
• Hassan Adhuham
• Mohamed Rasheed
• Alaa Atiya
• Ashraf Nu'man
• Houssam Wadi
• Juan Luis Guirado
• Nuriddin Davronov
• Akhtam Khamrakulov
• Aleksey Negmatov
• Guwanç Hangeldiýew
• Ruslan Mingazow
• Berdi Şamyradow
• Elman Tagaýew

1 own goal

• Biraj Maharjan (playing against Turkmenistan)

Post-tournament team ranking

As per statistical convention in football, matches decided in extra time are counted as wins and losses, while matches decided by penalty shoot-outs are counted as draws.

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
North Korea	5	5	0	0	12	1	+11
Turkmenistan	5	3	1	1	9	4	+5
Philippines	5	3	0	2	9	8	+1
Palestine	5	2	1	2	7	6	+1
Tajikistan	3	1	0	2	3	4	−1
Maldives	3	1	0	2	2	5	−3
Nepal	3	0	0	3	0	6	−6
India	3	0	0	3	0	8	−8

Source: ^[12]