In a match where Al Ahly claimed a first half lead through Hussein El Shahat’s effort, Al Duhail bounced back stronger in the second half, but fine defending by the CAF champions saw them holding on for the win.

Ulsan Hyundai, the 2020 AFC Champions League winners, enjoyed a dream start at the Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium on Thursday with Kim Kee-hee giving them a 24th minute lead.

Frenchman Andre-Pierre Gignac, however, emerged as Tigres' star with a brace, drawing the CONCACAF champions level in the 38th minute before scoring from the penalty spot in first half added time.

Frenchman Gignac, the Mexicans’ all-time leading scorer (146 goals in all competitions), turned the global showpiece's opening match on its head with an opportunistic brace – a tap-in and a penalty – late in the first half.

The hosts started brightly, but the African champions got into their rhythm after 10 minutes and began to dominate.

Their reward came on the half-hour, when Walter Bwalya pressured Bassam Hisham into a defensive mistake. The ball broke to Hussein Elshahat, who arrowed a low drive into the bottom corner from just outside the penalty area.

This week’s list of contenders features players from six different AFC nations, all of whom have excelled for clubs outside of the continent over the last week.

Study the shortlist, based on performances from January 28 to February 3, and don’t forget to register your vote.

The former Nigeria international will bring with him a wealth of experience, having played in Italy's Serie A with Udinese in 2008, Spain's La Liga when on loan with Granada from 2010 to 2014 and in the English Premier League with Watford and Manchester United.

The move to Al Shabab is not his first stint in Asia as he plied his trade with Chinese Super League side Chanchun Yatai in 2017, before joining Shanghai Shenhua in 2019, where he was then loaned out to Manchester United.

Johnsen scored five times in nine games as Ulsan won the 2020 AFC Champions League title, defeating Persepolis FC from the Islamic Republic of Iran in the final in Doha in December to claim the club’s second continental crown.