Five-time Chinese Super League champions and two-time AFC Champions League winners Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao FC bagged the Asian Football Confederation Club of the Year award during the AFC Annual Awards held in New Delhi on Sunday.

Guangzhou won their fifth straight domestic title this year by edging Shanghai SIPG by two points in the final 2015 CSL league table while they defeated UAE's Al-Ahli Dubai FC in the final of this year's AFC Champions League, 1-0 on aggregate, almost two weeks ago to earn the distinction, according to Xinhuanet.

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The Southern China Tigers outdid South Korean club FC Seoul and defending champions Western Sydney Wanderers in Group H of the Champions League to advance in the knockout stage of the competitions.

In the knockout stage, Luiz Felipe Scolari's men barely escaped the challenge of another South Korean squad, Seongnam FC, 3-2 on aggregate, to advance to the quarterfinals where Japan's Kashiwa Reysol was awaiting.

After beating Reysol, 4-2, they then faced 2008 champions Gamba Osaka in the semifinals, pulling off another close aggregate victory, 2-1, en route to the title.

Brazilian footballer Elkeson led the Tigers campaign against Al-Ahli, scoring the lone goal in the second leg of the final at the Tianhe Stadium in Guangzhou after the first one ended in a goalless draw at the Al-Rashid Stadium in Dubai.

Meanwhile, Al-Ahli striker Ahmed Khalil won the AFC Player of the Year despite his team's loss to Guangzhou in the Champions League final, via Odisha News Insight.

The 24-year-old forward edged out fellow UAE international Omar Abdulrahman and Evergrande captain Zheng Zhi for the award.

Khalil is one of the best offensive players in the UAE Pro-League, scoring 11 goals and handing nine assists in 25 appearances for Al-Ahli last season. This season, he had already netted 11 goals and dished out 8 assists in only 10 games so far for Cosmin Olăroiu's side.

TagsChina sports news 2015, Al-Ahli Dubai