Two Emirati clubs faced off in the Round of 16 in 2014 and it was one of the best footballers the UAE has ever produced who proved to be the difference in the first leg in Abu Dhabi.

After Asamoah Gyan opened the scoring for Al Ain, Omar Abdulrahman stole the show as he tried his luck from 25 yards out and saw his left-foot strike go in off the post with Al Jazira goalkeeper Ali Khasif rooted to his spot. Abdulrahman would win countless individual and team honours with Al Ain, but fell agonisingly short of the AFC Champions League title.

Ai Kesen scored in both legs of the final to help Guangzhou FC bag the AFC Champions League title in 2013, and he was back for more two years later. The first leg against Al Ahli in Dubai finished in a goalless draw, meaning it all came down to the return fixture at the Tianhe Stadium. After a goalless first half, a spark of genius from the attacker was all it took to hand the silverware to Luiz Felipe Scolari’s side.

Receiving the ball with his back to the goal, Ai Kesen backheeled it through the legs of Salmeen Khamis before turning and delightfully finishing with the outside of his right foot to help his side emerge as champions of Asia for the second time in three seasons. 

Persepolis had their work cut out in front of almost 80,000 fans in Tehran after suffering a 3-2 defeat in the Round of 16 first leg in 2018. But Ahmad Nourollahi provided all the inspiration they needed when he opened the scoring in the return leg just past the hour mark.

Bringing the ball under control just outside the box, the midfielder turned towards the goal and fired a bullet which pierced the back of the net and saw the Azadi Stadium roar with delight. Jalal Hosseini added to Nourollahi’s strike to send the Iranians through on away goals – a run that saw them reach the final where they lost to Kashima Antlers. 

Second only to Dejan Damjanovic among the ACL’s all-time leading scorers, it is a hard task to pick out one from the 37 goals that Lee Dong-gook scored for Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in the competition. But his overhead kick against Kashiwa Reysol in the group stage of the 2015 edition certainly stands out.

Trailing 3-0 to the Japanese side, Lee battled with his opponent for a cross from the right and got his head onto it. With the ball up in the air, the Korea Republic legend reacted quickest and adjusted his body to plant the falling ball into the bottom corner with an acrobatic finish that has lived long in the memories of Asian football fans. 

It did not take Cristiano Ronaldo long to stamp his mark on the AFC Champions League in his debut campaign as he bagged a goal on his home debut against FC Istiklol. But the Portuguese superstar’s most eye-catching display came in a seven-goal thriller against Al Duhail.

The then-38-year-old created space for himself a long way from goal and let fly a curling left-foot strike that gave goalkeeper Salah Zakaria no chance as it nestled into the far corner to make it 3-0. With the Qataris threatening a comeback, the Al Nassr captain once again stepped up, scoring a stunning volley in the 81st minute to secure a 4-3 win for the Saudi club. 

It’s safe to say the 2002/03 campaign in Asia is one that Therdsak Chaiman will never forget. The Thailand legend not only won the MVP honour by guiding BEC Tero Sasana to a runners-up finish in the inaugural ACL but also scored one of the finest goals in the tournament’s history.

In their final group outing against Shanghai Shenhua and with the score level at 1-1 with only five minutes left on the clock in Bangkok, Therdsak latched onto a pass at the halfway line and cut past not one but two defenders to make his way to the centre before opening up for a shot that bulged the back of the net and sent the Thais through the last four. 

There’s no doubt that the Urawa Red Diamonds fans created some of the best atmospheres in the ACL and their passion reached a crescendo when Rafael Silva netted an 88th-minute winner against Al Hilal to hand the Reds their second AFC Champions League title in Saitama in 2017.

After the first leg finished all square, it looked like the match was headed for extra time when the Brazilian expertly turned Al Hilal skipper Osama Hawsawi to charge towards the goal. Silva then rifled his shot into the roof of the goal to spark wild celebrations both on the pitch and in the stands. 

Takashi Usami’s abundant talent was on full display in Gamba Osaka’s 3-1 win against FC Seoul in the first leg of their Round of 16 tie in 2015 as the Seoul defenders found out the hard way that they shouldn’t have afforded any space for Usami inside the box.

The Japan international arrived unmarked to meet a dipping cross from left-back Hiroki Fujiharu and volleyed a spectacular effort into the top right corner to break the deadlock in the 63rd minute. Usami would score a second later to set Gamba on course to reach their only ACL semi-final appearance since their continental triumph in 2008. 

Al Hilal and Pohang Steelers battled for their fourth continental title in the 2021 final held in Riyadh in front of more than 50,000 fans. And Nasser Al Dawsari sent that gathering to raptures when he scored the fastest-ever goal in an ACL final in supreme fashion.

The left-back stole possession in midfield straight from kick-off and fired a piledriver from 30 yards out to stun their Korean opponents with only 16 seconds clocked. Pohang failed to recover from the early setback as the Saudis cruised to another AFC Champions League title in front of their home supporters. 

When it comes to free-kicks, it’s difficult to find many better than the one Leandro Velazquez delivered for Johor Darul Ta’zim in their final group outing of the 2022 edition. Needing a win over the Korean giants to progress, JDT and Velazquez wasted no time to draw the first blood.

From a free-kick 30 yards out, the Argentine curled his effort over the defensive wall and past Ulsan custodian Jo Hyeon-Woo to guide the Southern Tigers to a historic 2-1 win that helped them reach the last 16 by ahead of Ulsan, Kawasaki Frontale and Guangzhou.