Torrential rain proceeded kick-off between the Vietnamese pair at Binh Duong Stadium and it was the visitors who coped best in the tricky conditions. They were given the perfect chance to take the lead shortly after the half hour when Nguyen Hung Tien Duc upended Ngan Van Dai and the referee pointed to the spot.

Skipper Van Quyet was the man tasked with putting his side in front only to see his first attempt parried out by Tran Duc Cuong but he then reacted quickest to prod the rebound into the back of the net from close range, much to the delight of the small pocket of Hanoi fans behind the goal.

On a night of high drama, Van Quyet reacted quickest on 33 minutes to drill the ball past Binh Duong goalkeeper Tran Duc Cuong after seeing his penalty saved by the home custodian.

The goal gives Nghiem Chu Dinh’s charges a distinct advantage ahead of next week’s return leg in Hanoi and with Turkmenistan’s Altyn Asyr FC waiting for the eventual winners in the Inter-Zone Semi-finals.

The-AFC.com highlights the ins and outs across the Continent.

Although the Malaysian league season has now concluded, there were key matches across Southeast Asia with the race for the respective national club championships continuing to thrill and intrigue in equal measure.

Over the years a number of teams have reaped the rewards for luring fresh faces ahead of the business end of the competition – the-AFC.com has picked out five of the biggest-impact summer signings.

Kitchee, three-time Hong Kong Premier League champions, finished fourth last season and are determined to regain their position at the top.

Sliskovic, who arrived in Hong Kong on Wednesday, was unveiled as the new head coach on Thursday.

The ASEAN Zonal Final will see Becamex Binh Duong hosting Hanoi FC in the first leg at the Binh Duong Stadium on July 31. The return leg of the all-Vietnam ASEAN Zonal Final will be played on August 7.

The ASEAN Zonal winners will face 2018 runners-up Altyn Asyr in the Inter-Zone Semi-final on August 20, with the return leg on August 27.