Players of Guangzhou Evergrande celebrate during the awarding ceremony of the AFC Champions League final match between Guangzhou Evergrande and Al Ahli of United Arab Emirates in Guangzhou, China, Nov. 21, 2015. Guangzhou Evergrande won 1-0 and claimed the title. (Photo: Xinhua/Cao Can)
Asian Champions League winners Guangzhou Evergrande claimed the AFC Club of the Year Award on Sunday.
The Chinese powerhouse, who secured a fifth successive CSL (Chinese Super League) title this season, defeated Al Ahli of the UAE 1-0 in the 2015 ACL final and thus won Asia's premier club tournament for the second time in three years, which earned them the honor in the AFC Annual Awards ceremony held in New Delhi.
Guangzhou progressed to the knockout stage of the 2015 ACL by topping their group ahead of FC Seoul, defending champions Western Sydney Wanderers, who defeated the Chinese giants in last year's competition.
After overturning a first-leg deficit to defeat 2010 ACL champions Seongnam 3-2 in Round of 16, Guangzhou set up a semifinal showdown with another former continental champions Gamba Osaka following a confident 4-2 aggregate win over Gamba's Japanese compatriots Kashiwa Reysol.
A 2-1 home win followed by a well-earned goalless draw in Osaka saw Guangzhou eliminate the 2008 champions to book their place in the final.
They then recorded a second successive stalemate on the road as the first leg of the tournament decider against Al Ahli ended 0-0, before Elkeson's solitary strike in the return fixture at the Tianhe Stadium saw skipper Zheng Zhi presented the coveted AFC Champions League trophy for a second time.
