The Korean side played with 10 men for over 80 minutes as defender Kim Tae-hwan was sent off 37 minutes into the game in what was the first VAR red card of the East matches following its introduction at the quarter-final stage.

Having taken the lead earlier through Park Sang-hyeok’s header, Suwon Samsung Bluewings conceded from a free-kick immediately after losing Kim but were able to hold on to the 1-1 draw until the end of 120 minutes and take the game to a penalty shootout, before eventually bowing out after Jang Ho-ik missed his side’s seventh spot-kick.

After winning their first-ever Emperor's Cup title in 2019 to earn their AFC Champions League debut, Vissel Kobe had a 2020 domestic season full of ups and downs.

The port city club added the Japanese Super Cup in February, defeating Yokohama F. Marinos on a penalty shootout, but ended the J1 League season in a disappointing 12th place.

The K League runners-up have brushed off domestic heartbreak to emerge as the form team of the AFC Champions League (East), scoring multiple goals in all seven of their Doha fixtures.

Throughout their journey to the semi-final, the two sides were able to count on an array of talents, both domestic and foreign. the-AFC.com highlights four players who could make the difference and drive their teams to the December 19 final against Islamic Republic of Iran's Persepolis FC.

As Korea Republic's Ulsan Hyundai prepare to battle it out with Japan's Vissel Kobe in Sunday's semi-final, the-AFC.com highlights some of the standout numbers posted by those involved in the final four clash over the course of the 2020 campaign.

Doha: Suwon Samsung Bluewings' Park Sang-hyeok has been voted by the fans as the 2020 AFC Champions League (East) Toyota Player of the Week after he scored his side's goal in the 1-1 quarter-final draw with Vissel Kobe before the K League 1 team exited on penalties.

The 22-year-old midfielder, who opened the scoring with a nicely placed header in the seventh minute, gained 42 percent of the fans' vote after having been ranked sixth in the ratings by Stats Perform ratings – the AFC's official data provider – with a score of 7.1.

With anticipation building for the 2020 AFC Champions League final, where Islamic Republic of Iran champions Persepolis will be aiming to win the continental title for the first time, their fans voted in huge numbers for Nemati.

Facing Qatar's Al Sadd in an Azadi Stadium packed to the brim, the return leg of the semi-final was tied 1-1 when Nemati struck to take Persepolis into the 2018 AFC Champions League final against Japan's Kashima Antlers.

Review the six goals and check out the result at the bottom of the article.