The decision, following consultation with the 15 clubs, is due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

New Zealand, triumphant in the OFC Qualifiers, awaited the winners between 2007 AFC Asian Cup runners-up Saudi Arabia and their neighbours Bahrain who had come within a whisker of reaching the FIFA World Cup in their previous attempt four years earlier.

Having undergone surgery to repair a fractured right arm in the wake of the 3-2 win at Aston Villa on February 16, where he sensationally scored a last-gasp winner despite carrying the injury, the flying forward returned to his home country during lockdown and completed his mandatory three-week military service in April.

The Japan Football Assocation (JFA) hopes the WE League – pronounced ‘we’, based on the acronym for ‘women’s empowerment’ – will feature between six and 10 teams in its inaugural season, running from the Japanese autumn to the following May.

When the action eventually resumes, several fiercely contested groups will ensure the race for the 12 available final round qualifying places for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 is sure to be exciting.

Founded in 1980 in a semi-professional capacity before moving into a profession era at the turn of the Millennium, the V.League has enjoyed a steady rise in recent years, with last season's AFC Cup ASEAN Zonal final between Hanoi FC and Becamex Binh Duong suggesting that some of the strongest club sides in Southeast Asia now hail from Vietnam.

And in further positive news for football fans across Vietnam, matches will not be played behind closed doors, with authorities allowing spectators into stadiums as the country continues to return towards normality.

Kicking off the AFC Cup's version of the '5 of the Best' series, we begin with one of our most popular categories: free-kicks. Curlers, rockets and long-range efforts - enjoy these superb set-pieces and then select your favourite by voting at the bottom of the article.