The visitors stunned the home crowd by opening the scoring after just three minutes. Son Phyong-il made a surging run down the left and his cross was perfect for Kim Yu-song to attack and head home.

It was almost 2-0 four minutes later but Rim Chol-min couldn’t find the target with a header from Ri Hyong-jin’s cross.

It was the third draw in a row for 2018 AFC Cup runners-up Altyn Asyr, who had to hold firm in the second half, having had the better of the first 45 minutes.

Hanoi FC's previous AFC Cup 2019 meeting with Naga World was a tie the Cambodian side will want to quickly forget: A heavy 10-0 defeat on Matchday One that was among the tournament's largest-ever margins of victory.

However, the return game at Phnom Penh Olympic Centre Stadium could be a tighter affair with Hanoi FC coach Chu Dinh Nghiem announcing he will be without the services of four Vietnam internationals.

Forward pair Nguyen Van Quyet and Nguyen Van Dai, midfielder Do Hung Dung and goalkeeper Bui Tien Dung are all ruled out.

Home’s Abdil Qaiyyim had the first chance of the game at the Pakansari Stadium in the eighth minute, flicking just wide off the near post from inside the six-yard box after an Izzdin Shafiq corner.

Guy Junior then fired Makassar’s first warning shot, slamming just off target in the 11th minute, before Muhammad Arfan curled another low effort just wide for the hosts one minute later.

Kaya needed all three points to maintain a realistic chance of progressing to the knockout round, and they started the brighter of the two sides in this clash at Pana-ad Park and Football Stadium, sending a couple of sighters off target inside the opening 10 minutes.

Lao failed to pay heed to those warnings, and after Jordan Mintah cut inside Ketsada Souksavanh in the 11th minute and broke into the penalty area there was only going to be one outcome, with the Ghanaian poking beyond goalkeeper Outthilath Nammakhoth to make it 1-0.

The Hong Kong champions, who have appeared in the AFC Cup's knockout stage in each of their last five appearances, are already in danger of crashing out at the Group Stage as they enter the midway point of the first round.

Consecutive defeats to domestic rivals Woo Foo Tai Po and DPR Korea's 4.25 SC sees coach Alex Chu's men six points behind the pair and without a point to show for their efforts.

It's a run of results that has to change, starting from the front, says their skipper.

The six matches will take place across just three countries, with Tajikistan, India and Hong Kong each hosting a pair of games over the coming days.