Three-time champions Nagoya Oceans dominated the early play and had a look at goal in the third minute when captain Ryuta Hoshi found space down the middle but his long-range effort sailed over the bar.

In a split second, Al Dhafra were in the lead, when against the run of play, Fabio Daniel pounced on a mistake by Oceans’ defenders before sending an angled pass to Hatakeyama Bruno Takashi to stab home the opener.

Down 4-0, Soro Company fought back to draw level but conceded twice in the dying seconds as Vamos sealed a thrilling 6-4 win.

Both teams tried to dominate from the start but Vamos, who reached the quarter-finals last year, eased into the game quickly and laid down their marker in the second minute through Marvin Alexa Wossiry’s strike.

The Indonesian club showed their experience as Syahidansyah Lubis combined with Marvin, who sent a low shot past Soro Company goalkeeper Firuz Bekmurodov.

Ali Asghar Hassanzadeh’s hat-trick steered Shenzhen Nanling Tielang to an 8-3 victory over Kygryz Republic’s FC Erem in Group B while Port FC defeated FS Seoul of Korea Republic 3-0.

It was a hotly contested affair from the start as FS Seoul showed early determination to take control of the game with Port FC taking time to find their rhythm.

Spurred on by the partisan crowd, Port FC had a look at goal in the second minute but Marcos Vinicius saw his effort blocked by FS Seoul goalkeeper Seo Jung-woo.

The ensuing kick-in resulted in Port FC’s opening goal when Muhammad Osamanmusa beat two defenders to put the home side in front.

It was a cagey opening 10 minutes as both teams jostled for early possession, with Erem looking the more dangerous on the break.

Shenzhen, despite having Islamic Republic of Iran’s Ali Asghar Hassanzadeh in their ranks, could not find a way past their opponents as Erem held firm at the back.

AGMK pressured the Vietnam club from the start with quick counter-attacking play which would have yielded goals if not for the alertness of Thai Son Nam custodian Ho Van Y.

Davron Choriev, Akbar Usmonov and Anaskhon Rakhmatov were a thorn in Thai Son Nam’s side as the trio controlled play in their attacking half.

Naft Al Wasat took time in settling into the match as Al Rayyan enjoyed the early advantage with two chances in the opening minutes.

Al Rayyan’s Said Albulushi was left unmarked on the right flank but his effort in the first minute failed to find the target and he wasted another opportunity to score two minutes later from a similar position.