After a slow start, Binh Duong qualified for the knockout rounds as the best-placed runners-up in the region after defeating Ceres Negros in their final group game.

There were no such problems for Makassar, meanwhile, as the Liga 1 team won four and drew two to progress on what is their debut appearance in the competition.

Making their debut appearance in the tournament, Makassar won four and drew two of their Group H games to advance as table-toppers and, in doing so, netted 17 goals along the way – a tally only Hanoi FC have bettered in this year’s competition.

Netherlands-born midfielder Klok was instrumental in his side’s success, with his two goals against last year’s ASEAN Zonal champions Home United of Singapore paving the way for a crucial come-from-behind 3-2 win and ultimately qualification to the knockout rounds.

The two-legged semi-finals will kick off on Tuesday and Wednesday with the return legs the following week. The two victors will progress to the ASEAN Zonal Final a month later to determine who is the 2019 AFC Cup's Southeast Asia champion.

We look at four players - one from each of the semi-finalists - who could prove to be the difference-makers.

Ceres progressed to the knockout rounds for the fourth year running by topping Group G after five successive wins to advance with a game to spare.

Hanoi, meanwhile, needed a Matchday Six victory over Tampines Rovers to leapfrog the Singaporean side and win Group F by the narrowest of margins.

Inaugural AFC Cup winners in 2004, Al Jaish reached the quarter-final stage in 2015 and 2016, but since the introduction of the Zonal knock-out stages in 2017, the Syrians have not progressed past the group stage.

Tajikistan’s FC Istiklol and India’s Chennaiyin FC – Group D and E leaders respectively – will look to edge closer to knockout round qualification while, in the East, DPR Korea’s 4.25 SC need just a point to progress for the third successive year.

Both sides looked to improve on their most recent AFC Cup campaigns. Al Ahed had been eliminated at the same stage last year whereas Al Wehdat suffered the same fate in 2017 and missed out on the 2018 AFC Cup.

Al Wehdat came racing out of the blocks, and within three minutes, they had their first sight of goal.

Binh Duong advanced to the regional semi-finals after winning their final four Group G games to finish as the best-placed runners-up in ASEAN, while Makassar remained unbeaten to win Group H in what is their debut campaign.

Much of the Indonesian side’s success has been built around their Dutch captain Wiljan Pluim, as well as Finnish striker Eero Markannen and naturalised Netherlands-born midfielder Marc Klok, and Tan Tai is well aware of the threat they pose going forward.

The Southeast Asian nation has achieved considerable success at international level over the past year, with the Golden Stars winning the 2018 AFF (ASEAN Football Federation) Cup and then reaching the quarter-finals of the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019.

Hanoi, the reigning V.League champions, boast a side replete with national team players who have played key roles in the country’s improvement and Senegalese forward Faye is quick to point out the impact they have had in helping the club progress to the ASEAN Zonal semi-finals.