Elsewhere, the highly anticipated reopening of IR Iran’s Pro League was postponed by just under a week, as league authorities announced June 24 as the new kick-off date.

Join the-AFC.com for all the key news and results from Abadan to Andijan.

The East Asians stunned the world when they beat powerhouse Italy 1-0 in a 1966 Group Four tie to become the first nation outside of Europe and the Americas to seal a place in a FIFA World Cup quarter-final.

Pak Doo-ik scored what remains one of the FIFA World Cup's most famous goals, but it was team effort which took DPR Korea through to the last eight where they again amazed before losing 5-3 to a Eusébio-inspired Portugal.

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors returned to winning ways in Korea Republic by condemning FC Seoul to a second successive defeat, but Ulsan Hyundai remain unbeaten and hot on their heels after a convincing win over Pohang Steelers.

Elsewhere, there were mixed fortunes for Japan's Germany-based quintet, more friendlies in China PR and a Hong Kong legend hung up his boots, so join the-AFC.com as we review the talking points in East Asia and ASEAN.

Centre-back Hasebe, 36, played the full 90 minutes in Eintracht Frankfurt's 2-0 loss to Mainz on Saturday in what was his 309th German top-flight match to leapfrog ex-Korea Republic forward Cha Bum-kun.

To select the candidates for each position, we have reflected on match data from the tournament to draw up a statistics-based approach to present the outstanding performers.

We begin with five candidates for the all-important number one shirt. Review the nominees and then choose your favourite goalkeeper to helm the rearguard for this all-star XI in the poll below.

Joining us to examine the nine-man shortlist announced on Friday is Jeroen Kapteijns, a seasoned football journalist for De Telegraaf, the country’s largest daily newspaper.

There is much to discuss, but when it comes to the core question of which nominee should be considered the continent’s most impactful player in Dutch football, Kapteijns found himself unable to separate two East Asian stars.

Matchdays 7 and 8 of the Asian Qualifiers are due to take place on October 8 and 13 while Matchdays 9 and 10 are now scheduled for November 12 and 17.