The four sides in Group B will kick off the action on Monday, before the teams in Groups A and C take to the field a day later in what will be the fourth round of fixtures.

Al Ahed had drawn their opening two games 0-0 but got off to the perfect start in rainy conditions at Sports City Stadium when Nour Mansour put them in front in the first minute.

Kdouh then doubled their advantage just after the 15-minute mark before his second-half brace ultimately ensured a 4-2 win as Al Ahed moved into second place in the standings, two points behind Bahrain’s Malkiya Club.

Having picked up just one point from two games in their first appearance in the competition since 2015, anything but a win would have left qualification to the knockout rounds unlikely, but in the end they got their just rewards for a dominant display.

Al Wehdat came into the match with a perfect record, having beaten Nejmeh SC and Hilal Al Quds in the first two rounds. Meanwhile, Al Jaish were also unbeaten but sat in second place with four points.

After scoring four goals in the previous match, Baha Faisal looked to keep his scoring run going and threatened early on. The Al Wehdat forward pounced on a loose ball on the edge of the box and unleashed a thunderous effort that was punched away by goalkeeper Ahmad Madanieh.

Tai Po FC's first ever AFC Cup win was always going to be one for the record books, but its entry into the annals of the club's history took on extra flourish with an exciting six-goal thriller against countrymen Kitchee SC.

And it was to be extra special for 23-year-old forward Chung Wai Keung, although it didn't begin at all the way he would have planned.

Ceres went into the game two points ahead of their opponents after claiming maximum points from their two previous games, but were up against arguably their biggest rivals for the one automatic qualification spot.

Bienvenido Maranon’s early strike ultimately settled proceedings as the striker’s fifth goal of the campaign proved enough for Ceres to finish the day in a commanding position at the midway point of the group stage.

Qadsia created the bulk of the chances in a first half where most of play centred around the middle of the pitch, but their attempts were largely harmless to goalkeeper Yusuf Hassan.

Veteran Bader Al Mutawa tried his luck on the half-volley, but his shot was collected by the goalkeeper at the half-hour mark, and Dhari Said’s strike minutes later sailed wide off the post.