The home side were looking to bounce back after a 4-1 loss to Persija Jakarta, while the visitors were hoping to do likewise after their loss to Song Lam Nghe An of Vietnam.

Both teams were coming off losses on Matchday Two and were keen for a win to keep touch with Vietnam’s Song Lam Nghe An at the top.

It was the visitors, who fielded an all-Malaysian starting 11, that had the better of the going in the first half, with eight shots to four, but they couldn’t make the most of their chances and it remained scoreless at the interval.

The introduction of Safiq Rahim for the second half allowed the 2015 AFC Cup winners to continue to play on the front foot, and but for Tampines Rovers goalkeeper Syazwan Buhari, they would’ve taken the lead on the hour mark.

The home side’s defence failed to clear a free-kick whipped into the box by Safiq, with Aidal Zafuan turning and shooting from the edge of the six-yard box, but Syazwan was up to the task, spectacularly saving the defenders effort from point blank range.

As the match approached 90 minutes Amirul Adli came close to winning the match for the home side, but his header was cleared on the line by Afiq Fazail.

The two sides meet again next week in the return leg in Johor in what will be a must-win match for both sides.

With expectation now high that Persija can reach the knockout stage, the-AFC.com caught up with club legend Bambang Pamungkas to find out the striker’s views on his side's chances in the continental competition.