DPR Korea took the lead through Kim Kang-song’s 20th minute strike, before Ahmad Semreen leveled the scores 11 minutes later but Jordan trailed again going into the break with Kang-song’s 45th minute goal.

Jordan eventually equalised in the second half with Amer Rasem Adel Jamous finding the back of the net in the 75th minute.

Thailand took the lead just 45 seconds into the match through Waragon Thongbai, but the young Samurai Blue didn’t flinch and found the equaliser five minutes later through Araki Ryotaro.

“Even though we conceded inside the first minute, we still had a whole 90 minutes left to play so we were quite confident of scoring. Even when they scored first, we stayed calm and steady,” said Japan captain Riku.

Lim, a former Bayern Munich Junior Team coach, was brought back in 2013 to lead the current Malaysian U-16 squad, which is a product of the collaboration between the Football Association of Malaysia and the National Football Development Programme, which aims to develop budding talents in the country.

In a tightly contested affair, Vietnam started the match strongly as they fought for early possession against an Indian side who had stayed unbeaten in the qualifiers. But the Southeast Asians soon found themselves under pressure as India pushed forward.

Gurkirat Singh found space down the left and delivered a perfect cross to Vikram Partap, who timed his run perfectly as he skipped past his marker in the box but his finishing was tame as it sailed past the goalmouth in the fifth minute.

Vietnam, unfazed by India’s persistence, surged forward in the 12th minute as Dinh Thanh Trung made his way on the right and passed it square to Khuat Van Khang, who fired straight into the arms of India goalkeeper Niraj Kumar.

With a partisan crowd cheering their team on, Indonesia went ahead in the fourth minute when Mochammad Supriadi broke free on the left flank and laid off a square pass to Amiruddin Bagus Alfikri, who had the easiest of finishes to put Indonesia in front.

A minute later, IR Iran came close to equalising with Mahdi Seyedi's glancing header but Indonesia goalkeeper Ernando Ari Sutaryadi kept a cool head to make the save.

IR Iran found it hard to break down their opponents as Indonesia operated as a tight unit and were adept at defending.

Boosted by the advantage, Indonesia controlled the pace of the match and were comfortable keeping possession as they came close to doubling their advantage in the 24th minute but Amanar Abdillah pulled his shot just wide off the left post.

In the opening minutes of the match, both sides were eager to find the back of the net as they exchanged possession with every run, promising an exciting match ahead.

In the 14th minute, Oman’s Al Azhar Hamza Al Balushi lobbed the ball over the Yemeni defence to find an unmarked Qusai, who calmly slid the ball past goalkeeper Abdullah Abdulhakim Al Sadi, bounced off the upright and into the goal for the lead.

The goal served as a confidence booster for Yaqoub Saud Saif Al Sabahi’s side as they moved with a spring in their step and continuously threatened with their attacks from the flank.

And in one such instance in the 35th minute, Yemen’s defence cracked under the Omani pressure and Fahad Said Al Rasbi sent a pinpoint cross into the box that saw Qusai secure his second goal of the night with a fine header.

Both sides began the match cautiously, but DPR Korea held the lion’s share of possession with their heavy man-to-man marking and constantly forced Jordan into a defensive position with their crosses into the final third, forcing goalkeeper Osama Raed Mahmoud into making multiple saves.

The East Asians had a scare in the 12th minute when Jordan’s Mohannad Jehad Ahmad Semreen moved out a counter-attack that saw him surging from his end of the field to the other end, outmaneuvering several Korean defenders but his last ditch pass into the box failed to find any of his teammates.

In the 19th minute, DPR Korea were awarded a free-kick from 30 metres out when Jordan’s Obada Omar Alruzi fouled Kim Kang-song.

Defender Kim Jin-hyok’s free-kick bounced off the Jordanian wall, but the deflected ball landed right in front of Kang-song, who then let loose a strike from near the penalty spot to claim the lead a minute later.