Assistant coach Noh Rahman will assume duties at the helm as interim, with Home United in the search for a permanent head coach.

The 2018 AFC Cup ASEAN Zonal winners, lie second in Group H of the 2019 AFC Cup following their dramatic 3-2 win over Lao Toyota of Laos on Matchday Four.

It’s been a slow start to their AFC Cup campaign for last year’s ASEAN Zone champions, Home United, with just one win from their first three matches.

One mitigating factor has been the prolonged absence of key man Song, one of the standout players in last year’s competition and a player who contributed five goals in the group stage in 2018, finishing with nine goals overall.

But having recovered from a groin complaint that saw him miss the first three matches of this year’s campaign, Song returned for Home United on Wednesday and made an immediate impact for The Protectors.

In what was a clash of Group H’s top two teams, the game handed the winners the chance to open up a three-point lead on the losers and in turn secure the potentially important better head-to-head record.

A handball by Kaya defender Jalsor Soriano opened the door for Makassar in the 14th minute but a well-worked free kick came to nothing as Muhammad Rachmat’s pass into the penalty area narrowly avoided finding Eero Markkanen just a few yards out from goal.

It’s been a week of celebrations in the Lao capital for Lao New Year and the home side was aiming to keep the celebrations going as they looked to end their 12-match winless run in the AFC Cup, a streak that dates back to 2016.

The celebrations continued early when the home side took a surprise lead, with Rafael heading home from Saison Khounsamnan’s corner in the 11th minute to give hope to Jun Fukuda and his team.

Having made the ASEAN Zonal Final for the last two years, the Protectors were confident of another good showing in the AFC Cup, but without a win after their first two games they were desperate to get back on the winners’ list to get their campaign back on track.

They were made to work hard for their 1-0 win, but Qaiyyim’s header in first half stoppage time was enough to seal all three points.

The defending ASEAN Zonal champions were at risk of falling further behind the top two teams in Group H if they didn’t collect maximum points at home on Matchday Three.

In a first half in which neither team created a significant number of chances, it took until midway through the half for the first clear opportunity to present and the home side would’ve been disappointed not to have taken the lead.

With both sides undefeated heading into the Group H encounter, and with only the top of the pool guaranteed progression to the next round, both teams knew winning all three points was crucial to their Continental ambitions.

In a cagey opening to the game, it was the visitors who had the first chance of the game when Jordan Mintah was played in behind the PSM Makassar defence, but his attempt the curl the ball past Rivki Mokodompit was thwarted by the custodian.