In just their second continental foray, India’s Bengaluru FC had an unforgettable season in the AFC Cup and made it all the way to the semi-finals where they locked horns with defending champions Johor Darul Ta’zim of Malaysia. After a 1-1 draw in Johor Bahru, both sides met in the second leg in Bengaluru, the capital of the Southern Indian state Karnataka and it was one man who stole the show. 

Former Indian national team captain Sunil Chhetri was at his very best, scoring two goals in a 3-1 victory with the second goal forever immortalised in Indian football folklore. Chhetri picked the ball outside the box, took it past an onrushing defender before making an angle for himself to unleash an unstoppable shot into the top corner for one of the greatest goals the legendary forward has scored in his illustrious career.

A year before that, Johor Darul Ta’zim had scripted their own fairytale journey when they went all the way to lift the AFC Cup trophy after starting the campaign with an emphatic 4-1 win against India’s East Bengal, with the fourth goal being a breathtaking effort.

The scorer of the night’s first goal, Nazrin Nawi ran on to a throw and delivered a floated cross which Safee Sali expertly converted with an acrobatic bicycle kick in a finish that one of Malaysia’s most iconic forwards would still be proud of.

Next up in the list is another iconic Asian forward with Syria’s Omar Al Somah showing what he is capable of during Qadsia SC’s triumphant AFC Cup campaign in the 2014 season.

On Matchday Two against Bahrain’s Al Hidd during the closing stages of the game, the ball was crossed into the box from the right and Al Somah displayed why he would go on to become a goal machine in years to come scoring with a jaw-dropping bicycle kick for the Kuwaiti giants.

Singaporean forward Khairul Nizam scored only once in the AFC Cup but in a fashion that can never be forgotten. Home United played out one of the wildest matches in the tournament’s history against Vietnamese side Than Quang Ninh at My Dinh National Stadium as the scoreline read 5-4 after full-time, with the first of the nine goals scored by Nizam.

With his full body in the air when he sweetly struck the volley, Nizam was surprised when he pulled off this unique technique and even celebrated with a smile of disbelief in one of the greatest volleys in Asian club football.

In the 2011 season, FC Nasaf from Uzbekistan went on to become the first non-West Asian club to win the title in a closely fought final against Kuwait SC in front of their home fans in Qarshi, before going on to cement themselves as a force to be reckoned with in the AFC Champions League™.

Already a goal to the good, Latvian midfielder Andrejs Pereplotkins stunned the visitors when he got in between two defenders and found the net with an improvised backheel in one of the most sublime goals scored in any AFC Cup final.

Kuwait SC would go on to become the first club to win three AFC Cup titles after overcoming compatriots Qadsia SC in the 2013 final in Kuwait City with the opening goal setting the tone for the success.

Rogerinho was part of all three AFC Cup triumphs and, after being adjudged the AFC Foreign Player of the Year in 2012, the Brazilian displayed why he was so highly regarded in the continent at that time. He drove forward as the Qadsia defenders retreated and unleashed a low rocket from outside the box that flew into the net even before the goalkeeper could properly react.

Indonesia’s Persipura Jayapura had reached the quarter-finals of the AFC Cup in 2011 in their debut appearance. Three years later, they went one step further and faced off against Qadsia SC in the semi-finals.

In a goalfest first leg in Kuwait City, former Team Garuda forward Titus Bonai levelled for his side in mesmerising fashion when he received the ball on the edge of the box before dribbling a few yards in and curling a sumptuous strike into the side netting in a goal truly reminiscent of Samba magic which was then displayed during his celebration.

Another Syrian forward to make the cut but this time for his hometown club Al Jaish, Mohammed Al Wakid came up against Jordanian club Al Jazeera in the West Zonal semi-finals of the 2019 AFC Cup.

Already racing on to a two-goal lead after half-time, Al Wakid saved the best for last when he increased Al Jaish’s advantage from inside his own half! He spotted goalkeeper Ahmad Nawwas slightly off his line and let fly from behind the halfway line in a truly world-class effort.

Hanoi FC had a brilliant AFC Cup campaign in 2019 and they started with a bang in a record-breaking 10-0 victory against Cambodian side Nagaworld FC with defender Do Duy Manh opening the scoring as early as the sixth minute.

As the ball slowly arrived in his path, the Vietnam national team star let fly a first time long-range thunderbolt that struck the underside of the crossbar before going in, much to his teammates delight as there was already a feeling that it could be a special season for the Men in Purple.

Maldives’ New Radiant topped their group in 2013 largely due to the efforts of the country’s greatest ever goal-scorer, Ali Ashfaq. He scored 23 goals in total in the AFC Cup with a remarkable five in one match against Indonesia’s Persibo Bojonegoro at the Manahan Stadium in Surakarta with one goal in particular a timeless AFC Cup memory.

Ashfaq was through on goal with only the keeper to beat but instead decided to torment the opposition defence, rounding the goalkeeper and allowing two defenders to come back, twisting and shimmying before finally deciding to apply the finish in a goal that had plenty of swagger about it.