Korea Republic quickly seized control of the Group C tie but found the Philippines difficult to break down in the opening minutes.

Sven-Goran Eriksson’s side, who started without the Younghusband brothers, defended resolutely and played mostly on the counter-attack with Patrick Reichelt and Javier Patino leading their attacks.

A spectacular 2018, said head coach Park Hang-seo, will see Vietnam giving the Continental showpiece their all as the Southeast Asians look to better the quarter-final finish achieved in their last appearance in 2007.

Iraq head coach Srecko Katanec was equally bullish, citing a solid preparation for his confidence.

Syria, who are featuring in their sixth AFC Asian Cup, had never drawn at the Continental showpiece in their last 13 games - with a record of five wins and eight losses.

The Qasioun Eagles raced off the blocks at the Sharjah Stadium and came close to scoring in the opening minutes of the game but were often halted by a stout Palestine defence, who had Rami Hamada between the sticks.

On what proved to be a momentous night for head coach Stephen Constantine’s charges, Chhetri netted either side of the break as – along with goals from Anirudh Thapa and Jeje Lalpekhlua – India recorded their first win at the Finals of an AFC Asian Cup since beating Hong Kong at the 1964 tournament.

His brace also took the JSW Bengaluru star’s tally for India to 67 – two ahead of Lionel Messi on 65 and 18 behind Cristiano Ronaldo in the list of the top three international goalscorers still currently representing their countries.

The Palestinians weathered an avalanche of Syrian attacks to walk out of Sharjah Stadium with a valuable point to kick-start their continental campaign.

A string of excellent saves from Hamada and some resolute defending by coach Noureddine Ould Ali’s side saw Palestine deny Syria a win despite the 68th minute dismissal of defender Mohammed Saleh.

Syria came into the game as heavy favourites with the likes of Omar Al Soma, Omar Khrbin and Mohammed Osman among their ranks.

But the Qasioun Eagles struggled in front of goal despite dominating possession for the most part of the match and were even playing with an extra man just after the hour mark.

Shafi, who is representing his country at the tournament for a fourth time after playing in the Finals in 2004, 2011 and 2015, made several important saves as the Socceroos attempted to find a way to cancel out Anas Bani Yaseen’s first half header.

Graham Arnold’s team was unable to claim an equaliser as Jordan held on to record a historic result against the holders, and Borkelmans praised Shafi’s impact, not only between the posts but on the rest of the players in the team.