Jordan’s biggest rivalry today is the famous Amman derby between Al Faisaly and Al Wehdat, but long before Al Wehdat had become a dominant force in Jordanian football, there was the duopoly of Al Faisaly and Al Ahli. Al Jazeera were the first side to break that duopoly when they lifted their maiden Jordan League title in 1952, just five years into their existence.

Back-to-back league triumphs followed in 1955 and 1956, as Al Jazeera replaced Al Faisaly as Al Ahli’s main rivals and the country’s second most successful club with the league now expanding to six teams.

Jordan’s Al Jazeera thought they had won it when they scored with two minutes to go, but they were clawed back with effectively the last kick of the ball to settle for a repeat of their Matchday One draw against Iraq’s Air Force Club.

Having come into the home leg with the away goal advantage after drawing 1-1 in the reverse fixture, Al Faisaly looked to get an early goal to move into a comfortable position. Alban Meha tried his luck from distance, but his effort was saved by Al Jazeera goalkeeper Ahmad Nawwas halfway through the first half.

Al Faisaly had a golden chance to take the lead five minutes before the end of the first half, when Polish striker Lukasz Gikiewicz was shackled by defender Zaid Jaber inside the box. Gikiewicz stepped up to take the resulting spot-kick himself but saw his attempt saved by Nawwas as the first half ended goalless.

With excitement building ahead of the 14th final, the-AFC.com begins its series of looking back at the 13 that have gone before it, starting with the inaugural showpiece in 2004 between Syrian teams Al Wahda and Al Jaish.

A New Beginning

The 22-year-old lifted the roof off at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium on Matchday Two when he became the first Indonesian to score for Persija at the 2018 AFC Cup in a 4-1 victory over Singapore's Tampines Rovers. His sensational strike was a popular one as he secured 50% of the vote to win the poll.

Inter-Zone playoff Semi-final 1 - Home United-Ceres Negros v 4.25
Date: August 21, 2018; Venue: TBC

East Zone champions 4.25 of DPR Korea who will be hoping to better their record in the competition, will face either Home United or Ceres Negros, who will meet in the ASEAN Zonal Final on August 1 and 8.

Pak Sung-jin’s side have never made it past the Inter-Zone Playoff Semi-finals, with their only appearance coming last year where they lost to Bengaluru over two legs.

Home United and Ceres Negros will go head to head in the ASEAN Zonal Final after seeing off Persija Jakarta and Yangon United respectively in the the Zonal Semi-finals.

Inter-Zone playoff Semi-final 2 - Bengaluru v Altyn Asyr
Date: August 22, 2018; Venue: Sree Kanteerava Stadium

Bengaluru, who will be making their fourth consecutive appearance in the knockout stage of the AFC Cup, will face an Altyn side who produced a remarkable 4-3 win over last year’s runners-up Istiklol on Matchday Six - scoring the winner deep in added time.

Both sides have never played each other with Altyn making their first appearance in the knockout stage of the AFC Cup following their record of four wins and two draws in the group stages.

In the Zonal Finals, Al Jazeera from Jordan will play host to defending champions Air Force Club of Iraq at the Amman International Stadium while Ceres Negros of the Philippines will take on Singapore's Home United at the Pana-ad Park and Football Stadium in the ASEAN Zonal Final.

The winners of the Inter-Zone Playoff Semi-finals will advance to the two-leg Inter-Zone Playoff Final - on September 9 and October 3 - with the winners going on to face either Al Jazeera or defending champions Air Force Club, who will play in the West Asia Zonal Final on September 18 and October 2.

The AFC Cup Final will be played on October 27.

We knew a first-half lead would really help us because we didn't go there just to defend, we went there to put up a fight. It was quite intimidating at the start, but once we settled in we proved that even as a young team we could cope well and hold them back.

Home United coach Aidil Sharin admits that the huge crowd at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium made the task of overcoming Persija Jakarta even more difficult after his side claimed an excellent 3-1 victory to progress to a second successive AFC Cup ASEAN Zonal final.