Three-time AFC Cup winners Kuwait SC returned to the competition after a three-year enforced hiatus.

The two sides got off to a cautious start as Mohamad Omar hit on the half-volley from the edge of the box but could not strike the ball cleanly enough to trouble Kuwait SC’s Hameed Youssuf.

Last year’s West Asia Zonal semi-finalists quickly moved into second gear as Yazan Al Arab got on the end of an Ahmed Al Essawi corner kick, but the defender fluffed his lines from close range 17 minutes in.

It was Al Jazeera’s second attempt of the night that produced the first goal. Islam Batran collected the ball deep into Al Najma’s half and laid it off for Mahmoud Al Mardi.

The Jordanian playmaker still had a lot to do, cutting inside into his right foot and unleashing a thunderous curler into the far corner of Ahmed Rasool’s net to break the deadlock 18 minutes in.

After failing to navigate the competition’s play-off stage on two previous occasions, the Palestinian side qualified for this year’s group stage after overcoming Oman’s Al Nasr.

At Al Muharraq Stadium, youngster Odai Dabbagh was full of energy throughout. It took the Palestinian international five minutes to threaten. He calmly controlled Jonathan Zorrilla’s corner inside the box, dribbled past two defenders before seeing his shot deflected behind for another corner-kick.

Seven Southeast Asian countries will be represented, with the ASEAN Zonal champions from the past two years – Singapore’s Home United and Ceres Negros of the Philippines – among the contenders looking for continental glory.