The Vietnamese side were cruising at 3-0 after an Amido Balde double followed Nguyen Cong Phuong’s opening goal, but a late brace from Hougang’s Stipe Plazibat meant the visitors’ handsome lead nearly evaporated

Eventually secured, Ho Chi Minh City’s three points see them leapfrog their Singaporean opponents into second place in the group, with Hougang dropping down to third.

First-half strikes from Aung Kyaw Naing, who finished with a brace, and Maung Maung Lwin had the hosts cruising at 2-0 up at half-time, but they were forced to endure a brave second-half revival from the visitors, who reduced the deficit to a single goal on two occasions.

Yangon’s win takes them to four points from two matches, while Lao Toyota remain rooted to the bottom of the table after back to back defeats.

Hoy Phallin and Jean Befolo Mbaga were on target for Svay Rieng in the first half before Ilija Spasojevic pulled one back for Bali United but it was not enough as the Cambodian side held on for the win.

The win meant Svay Rieng collected their first win after two matches, while Bali United are also on three points, having beaten Vietnam’s Than Quang Ninh on Matchday One.

Hai Huy netted eight minutes after OJ Porteria had given Ceres the lead for the first time as Bienvenido Maranon’s penalty at the end of the first half had cancelled out Jeremie Lynch’s opener for the visitors.

Risto Vidakovic’s side now sit on top of Group G with four points from their first two games, one point more than second-placed duo Bali United of Indonesia and Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng from Cambodia.

The two sides had met in the 2018 AFC Cup group stage, and Al Ahed emerged victorious on both occasions but there was not to be a third consecutive victory as Manama Club produced a strong performance.

Both sides came into their second game of the 2020 edition with the ambition of getting a first win against their opponents, after their two encounters in the 2019 group stage had ended in draws.

The Lebanese side were eyeing their first-ever victory against their visitors, having lost to Al Faisaly on three previous AFC Cup encounters and drawn one.