The Uzbek side set up a Central Asia Zonal final tie against Ahal FC of Turkmenistan, while Altyn Asyr are knocked out of the 2021 AFC Cup.

The Uzbek Pro League side went into the game needing just a draw to progress, while Turkmenistan’s champions needed a win to overtake them, yet it wasn’t to be as FC Nasaf kept the pressure up from the get-go.

With Oman’s Al Nasr SC having withdrawn from the group, the three remaining teams will vie for one spot in the West Asia Zonal semi-finals, with there also being the possibility of the best runners-up going through as the best second-placed team from the three groups.

The two sides most recent meeting was in the 2016 AFC Cup Round of 16 when the Lebanese side beat their opponents 4-0, including a Mohamadou Drame brace in the final minutes, with Al Ahed going on to lose the semi-final against eventual champions, Iraq’s Air Force Club.

Al Ahed, however, won the 2019 title and with the 2020 AFC Cup cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they will enter the fray as defending champions.

Since 2017, the AFC Cup has been regionalised into a Zonal system and, to celebrate the fifth edition of the competition's restructure, we look back at the last four tournaments and highlight one memorable match from each year of the West Zone ahead of its return on May 21.

From terrific team goals to amazing acrobatics and fantastic free-kicks, the West Asian clubs have more than contributed their share of memorable AFC Cup highlights.

The-AFC.com turns the clock back to recollect five outstanding entries to the competition's collection ahead of the 2021 AFC Cup's West Zone kick-off on May 21. Don't forget to vote for your favourite at the bottom of the article!

Eldor Shomurodov and Maya Yoshida starred in Italy, while Takefusa Kubo made a major impact in Spain and women’s stars from Asia’s two most popular countries made memorable contributions on opposite sides of the globe.

But who deserves this week’s crown? Study our shortlist – based on performances from May 12 to 18 – and cast your vote.

Kritsada Wongkaeo and Jirawat Sornwichian starred for Thailand in an emphatic victory at the Khor Fakkan Futsal Club Hall in the United Arab Emirates, leaving Iraq with an uphill task going into the return leg on Tuesday.

Also this week, AFC Champions League-conquering Istiklol continued their rise up the table in Tajikistan, while Kyrgyz Republic’s FC Alga reclaimed top spot in the absence of Dordoi.

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