After sharing a goalless draw in the first leg at home last week, Al Jazeera lost in Beirut as Tunisian striker Ahmed Akaichi scored the only goal for Al Ahed at the Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium.

Al Ahed, who had kept six clean sheets in the 2019 AFC Cup - more than any other team in the competition - controlled the early stages of the game as they maintained position, but failed to create real threats on Al Jazeera's goal.

The Jordanian side came close to scoring in the 21st minute, when Mahmoud Al Mardi sent a cross from a corner kick towards Yazan Al Arab, however, the defender's powerful header was saved by Al Ahed goalkeeper Mehdi Khalil.

With the DPR Korea side 2-1 down at Hang Day Stadium, Hanoi’s goalkeeper Nguyen Van Cong picked up an injury and was replaced by Bui Tien Dung in the 35th minute.

The hosts went on to dominate large spells of the second half but were unable to make their superiority count and, with three minutes to play, Kim’s sweetly struck effort from 25 yards found its way into the back of the net to secure the draw and a potentially crucial second away goal.

The sides played out an entertaining 2-2 draw in the first leg of the Inter-Zone Final in Hanoi last week but 4.25’s pair of away goals in Vietnam ensures they will begin the return meeting with an advantage.

Recently crowned Vietnamese champions Hanoi will now need to do what no other side has managed in the AFC Cup: win in Pyongyang – or secure a high-scoring draw – if they are to progress to a first Continental final.

Tavares, a two-time Vietnam national team head coach, has also managed several top clubsides in Asia previously with Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal FC, China PR’s Chongqing Lifan and Sepahan of the Islamic Republic of Iran among them.

Tavares, 63, handled Vietnam in 1995 and 2004 and was also head coach of the Jordan and Haiti national teams.

The visitors, meanwhile, would have been satisfied to leave the Vietnamese capital without suffering defeat and can look ahead to the return meeting on home soil, where they have never been beaten in the AFC Cup.

Rim put the visitors in front in the 19th minute when he finished from just a few yards out, but 4.25 found themselves 2-1 down by the half hour as Nguyen Van Quyet and Papa Ibou Kebe netted to raise the volume inside Hang Day Stadium. 

Hanoi then had a number of golden chances to increase their lead but, after failing to make their dominance count, striker Kim Yu-song stunned the home support with just three minutes remaining when his left-foot strike from 25 yards flew into the back of the net to seal the draw.