Brought on in the second half, Suphanat struck in the 94th minute to earn his side a point from a game they had come desperately close to losing at the Pakansari Stadium.

On an afternoon of high drama, it was Thailand who were the first to threaten through Sittichok Paso’s 13th minute strike from distance but it was expertly gathered by goalkeeper Haval Bahaalddin.

A superb header from Vietnam's Nham Manh Dung had given his side an early lead, but Jordan quickly replied through Mohammed Atieh and spurned a series of chances before Al Zubi popped up to secure a deserved win in the 89th minute.

Vietnam started strongly and, with winger Le Xuan Tu prominently involved in the build-up, Dung ensured they were rewarded when he rose high above the Jordanian defence to steer a precise header in at the far post and give the Southeast Asians a 21st minute lead.

Malaysia will face the two-time champion Saudis, runners-up in Bahrain two years ago, in their opening fixture, having ended a run of five consecutive failed attempts to reach the tournament proper.

Former Johor Darul Ta'zim boss Hodak says that now the side have reached the Finals in neighbouring Indonesia, they will be looking extract every ounce of experience from the competition.

For the Young Socceroos, Melbourne City FC’s Connor Metcalfe has replaced Western Sydney Wanderer Kosta Grozos in Ante Milicic’s squad to compete in the 2018 AFC U-19 Championship in Indonesia.

Grozos sustained an injury during the team’s pre-tournament training camp in Singapore which has ruled him out of the tournament. Metcalfe has been involved in previous Young Socceroos training camps this year.

Australia will commence their 2018 AFC U-19 Championship campaign in a Group C tie against Korea Republic at the Patriot Chandrabhaga Stadium in Bekasi, Indonesia later on Friday.

The Southeast Asians were made to dig deep against a side making its first appearance at the tournament for 44 years, with goals from Witan Sulaeman – his second of the game – and Egy Maulana Vikri eventually ensuring a 3-1 win for the hosts despite Chinese Taipei drawing level at one point.

“It was a great victory and I want to thank my players for their endless effort until the very last minute,” declared Sjafri.

“Our opponents played with a compact defence which certainly caused us some issues in the first half, but thanks to a change in tactics after the break we managed to reduce the pressure on ourselves somewhat by attacking more from the flanks.

Goals from Ahmad Fawzi and the impressive Ali Saleh provided a welcome start to the UAE’s campaign in Group A, one which sees them occupying second spot behind hosts Indonesia who beat Chinese Taipei 3-1 to assume pole position.

Although not entirely happy with every aspect of the display against their regional rivals, Balleti believes there were enough positives to underline the potential that exists within the Emirati squad.

The 18-year-old's (pictured above, right) brace proved crucial for Indra Sjafri's side. His first goal, a close-range headed effort, gave them a 2-1 lead in 70th minute over the well-organised visitors, before his second effectively killed off the tie if the dying minutes.

The winger also supplied the cross for Egy Maulana Vikri's 50th minute opener to seal a superb performance and send the 17,000-strong crowd at Jakarta's Gelora Bung Karno Stadium home happy.