It was Saudi Arabia’s their first official match in 2020 as they prepare for the resumption of the Asian Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and AFC Asian Cup China 2023.

Missing six players who had tested positive for COVID-19 just hours before the friendly, Korea Republic conceded three times in a three-minute spell after Hwang Ui-jo had given them the lead in the 21st minute.

SC Freiburg midfielder Kwon Chang-hoon, FC Rubin Kazan midfielder Hwang In-beom, Busan IPark forward Lee Dong-jun and defender Kim Moon-hwan, Ulsan Hyundai FC goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo and Seongnam FC forward Na Sang-ho were the players who tested positive.

The match went ahead as Korea Republic were able to register 19 fit players, with rules requiring teams to have a minimum of 13.

The Ashgabat club defeated city rivals Kopetdag 3-0, while second-placed FC Ahal suffered a shock 4-0 defeat at the hands of Shagadam, extending the gap between the top two sides to a 15-point cavern which Ahal cannot close despite holding a game in hand.

Altyn Asyr’s win comes off the back of a dominant run of results which has seen them win 17 and draw one of their last 18 matches, with the club’s only defeat coming against Nebitchi in May.

Today's contest features South Asia and ASEAN as Maldivian superstar Ali Ashfaq's cheeky goal for New Radiant in 2013 faces off against an excellent scissor kick from Hanoi FC's Nguyen Van Quyet in 2017

It will come as no surprise that a number of the Persepolis side who have reached the 2020 AFC Champions League final made the line-up after their impressive displays throughout and they are joined by five other standout performers.

Below are the 11 players voted by the public on the-AFC.com, while an XI by Stats Perform, the official statistics provider for the AFC, is also included as a comparison.

Tell us who is your favourite player from the AFC Champions League 2020 (West) in the poll at the bottom of the article.

The Iranian champions sealed their spot in the December 19 final after a magnificent performance in the 2020 AFC Champions League (West) which was played in the centralised location of Qatar.

Having garnered just one point from their opening two matches before the tournament was halted in March by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Iranian champions hardly put a foot wrong when the tournament resumed in September.

Join the-AFC.com as we relive Persepolis' journey to the AFC Champions League final, their second in three years.

Even for a team as successful as Jeonbuk, when it comes to on-field performances and results 2020 has been a banner year. A come-from-behind championship run saw them lift a fourth consecutive K League 1 title before winning a first FA Cup since 2005 to complete a memorable trophy haul.

And for midfielder Son Jun-ho it was a particularly noteworthy season as the 28-year-old was named the league's Most Valuable Player after a string of stunning showings. The Korea Republic international spoke exclusively to the-AFC.com to reflect on the year gone and look ahead to the resumption of the 2020 AFC Champions League (East) in Doha.