Australian midfielder Cernak had a Home United debut to remember in Bacolod as the A-League veteran netted the equaliser and vital away goal for the Singaporean side.

After a bright opening by Ceres, Patrick Reichelt played in striker Powell, who was handed a penalty in the ninth minute after being taken down in the box by Shakir Hamzah.

The Australian made no mistake from the spot as he slotted the ball past Home United goalkeeper Rudy Khairullah to give the home side an early lead and send the Panaad Stadium crowd into raptures.

But just as Mike Ott went close to doubling Ceres’ lead shortly after, Home United‘s immediate counter attack led to the equaliser and a crucial away goal on 23 minutes.

Izzdin Shafiq’s in-swinging corner found Shahril Ishak, who managed to escape his marker at the near post to head over Toni Doblas with the ball rebounding off the woodwork, with Cernak the fastest to react as he headed in to level proceedings.

The end-to-end nature of the first half continued right up until the whistle when Manuel Ott’s indirect free-kick in the first minute of stoppage time sailed over Khairullah in goal as both sides remained deadlocked going into the break.

When the 2018 AFC Cup's ASEAN Zonal Final kicks off between Ceres Negros and Home United on August 1, it will be another chapter in what has become a series of intriguing clashes between familiar foes.

In fact, it will be the fifth time the two sides have faced each other in the continental competition since they first clashed almost exactly a year ago in the AFC Cup's inaugural Southeast Asian decider.

Two scorchers from a semi-final classic in Kuwait, and a trio of unstoppable strikes from the ASEAN, Central and South Zones all make the grade in a quintet of knockout stage goals to whet your appetite ahead of the return of the 2018 AFC Cup.

Take a moment to review the nominees, before selecting your favourite in our poll.

In five months of fixtures since the start of the 2018 AFC Cup group stage, 116 games have been played, 370 goals have been scored, and seven teams remain standing. With the tournament set to resume on August 1 with the ASEAN Zonal Final first leg, we look back at the 2018 edition so far.

After two preliminary rounds and a play-off round, the group stage of the 2018 AFC Cup got underway in mid-February and in the West, there were two teams in particular who shone.

Seven remaining teams vie for the 2018 AFC Cup title as the action returns after the summer break, and from DPR Korea to Iraq to the Philippines and Turkmenistan, players have put their talent on display as they aim for personal and team glory. Here are four names who have shone brightly this term and will hope to continue impressing as their sides pursue continental glory.

After a two and a half month break, the AFC's club competitions return to action on Wednesday when Ceres Negros of the Philippines look to defend their AFC Cup ASEAN Zonal title against Singapore's Home United.

The two-legged ASEAN Zonal final is a repeat of last year's edition, when Ceres came out on top 3-2 on aggregate. The-AFC.com caught up with Home United midfielder Izzdin Shafiq, who also featured in the 2017 ASEAN Zonal final, to get his views on the upcoming clash.