The Indian side were forced to play with 10 men in the second half after losing Prateek Joshi to a red card just before the half-time whistle.

Manang Marshyangdi began the first half well as they starved Minerva of possession but the Indian side looked effective whenever they got a chance with the ball.

Samuel was particularly impressive in the wings early on. His first attempt was thwarted by a diving tackle from Bishal Rai in the wings but in the eighth minute, he produced an impressive long range effort that came off the bar.

The win places the DPR Korea champions at the top of Group I with 12 points, and they will guarantee their place in the knockout stage if Kitchee SC fail to beat Hang Yuan FC in the day's later match.

4.25 came into the match high on confidence, having beaten Tai Po 3-1 in the reverse fixture two weeks ago, courtesy of Kim Yu-song's brace. And the No. 18 forward struck within the first three minutes at the Kim Il Sung Stadium to give his side an early lead.

Two-time AFC Cup ASEAN Zonal finalists Home United may not make it to a third consecutive Southeast Asia showdown - unless there are some results of epic proportions to turn around the double digit goal difference between themselves and current best second placed side Hanoi FC - but they did ensure a runners-up finish in Group H after goals from Adam and Abdil Qaiyyim.

Al Wehdat will play Lebanon Al Ahed FC , the Group C winners, in the two-leg semi-finals scheduled for June 17 and 24.

With a two-point advantage over their opponents, Al Wehdat came into the final Group A game needing just a draw to secure a place in the next stage. Only a win could do for Hilal Alquds, while Syria’s Al Jaish hoped for a draw as they faced Nejmeh in the other group game.

The game got on to a pacey start, with Al Wehdat dominating the early proceedings, but with clear-cut chances few and far between.

Al Jaish advanced as the best second-placed team on the fairplay rule after being tied with Kuwait SC on points and goal difference. However, a lower yellow card count took the Syrian side through to a semi-final against Al Jazeera of Jordan, the Group B winners.

With the two teams assured of finishing in the top two spots, Al Jazeera held the relative advantage with 13 points to Kuwait SC’s 10. The hosts needed to better Al Jazeera’s 1-0 victory from the reverse fixture to top the group, while a one-goal-difference victory would also see them through as best runners-up.

Both sides started conservatively, with Kuwait SC the more adventurous of the two. Faisal Zayed tried his luck from distance but missed the target before Shereedah Al Shereedah forced the first save of the match from Al Jazeera goalkeeper Ahmad Abdelsattar 18 minutes in.

Both teams had already been eliminated from the competition, with Al Najma sitting third with four points while Al Ittihad had a single point in last place going into Matchday Six. Al Najma had won the reverse fixture 2-1 in Abu Dhabi back in March.

With pressure off, the two sides set out to entertain and indeed the crowd at the Bahrain National Stadium were treated to a fine display of attacking football with chances aplenty at both ends throughout the opening period.