In only the third staging of the continental tournament, Taj - known as FC Esteghlal from 1979 - became the first Iranian winners, and the first club from outside Israel to lift trophy, winning 2-1 after extra-time in front of an estimated 35,000 fans at the original Amjadieh Stadium.

The Japanese women’s national team of 2011 became Asia’s world champions at the senior level, overcoming tournament hosts and defending champions Germany in the quarter-final before outlasting the United States in a classic final and providing a boost to a nation still reeling from a painful natural disaster.

That remarkable win in Germany represented the peak of their success, but it was far from the Nadeshiko’s only breakthrough success, with first-time titles in the Asian Games and AFC Women’s Asian Cup and a FIFA World Player of the Year title for team leader Homare Sawa all materialising in an unprecedented four-year period.

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AIFF’s Executive Committee endorsed the League Committee's recommendations in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The Executive Committee agreed with the conclusions and the recommendations of the League Committee that this was a force majeure circumstance and the AIFF and all stakeholders must focus on a priority basis on safety and health aspects of players, officials and fans. In fact, there is still no certainty of when sporting activities including football can be resumed across the country,” said the AIFF in a media release.

In the first of a two-part interview with the-AFC.com, the 30-year-old custodian talks about life under lockdown, the challenges of the last 12 months and the difficult decision to not play at last year’s AFC Asian Cup Finals.

Korea Republic endured one of the worst early outbreaks of the COVID-19 pandemic outside China PR, but appears to have brought it under control thanks to its extensive "trace, test and treat" programme.

The outbreak had prompted sports leagues to suspend or delay their seasons across the country.

Member Associations, clubs and players are playing an important role in spreading awareness as they urge fans to stay at home to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic.