Cheered on by the vocal 7,000 home crowd, Bhutan did not disappoint the fans after producing a gritty performance which mirrored their heroics when they made global headlines after defeating Sri Lanka in the 2015 Asian Qualifiers.

Their victory at home will give the Dragon Boys a slight edge over Guam as they aim to qualify for the next round for the second time in the country’s history when both sides meet in the return leg on Tuesday at the Guam National Stadium.

With the rain lashing down on the artificial pitch at Phnom Penh’s National Olympic Stadium, the first opening of the match came in the sixth minute for the visitors but MD Adnan Yaqoob struggled to hit the ball cleanly as his strike went wide of the post.

Moments later, Keo Sokpheng drew a fine fingertip save from the Pakistani keeper as he fired a brilliant curling effort from outside the box. But Yousuf Butt was able to get a strong hand to tip the ball over the bar.

Coached by Dutchman Robbie Servais, Brunei sorely missed their key players as Mongolia dominated proceedings from the word go with a brilliant display of attacking football.

Bangladesh were the first to start pressing and threatened to score within the opening minutes of the game but their finishing left a lot to be desired. That was to set the tone of the first half which was marked by both teams inability to convert from close range and thus ended goalless.

The first half also witnessed multiple wayward free-kicks from both teams. Soon after Bangladesh fluffed their chances in the early minutes, it was the turn of Laos forward and skipper Souk Aphone Vongchiengkham who couldn’t quite put the finishing touch on an exciting short passage of play.

Duarte scored seven minutes into the second half for Macau, who were forced to play the game at the Zhuhai Sports Center Stadium in neighbour Zhuhai due to ongoing refurbishment work at their regular Estadio Campo Desportivo home.

The unfamiliar surroundings, however, did little to dampen the resolve of the 2016 AFC Solidarity Cup runners-up, who edged a tightly-fought encounter against Asia’s lowest ranked men’s national team.

Tsedenbal found the back of the net in the ninth minute in the first leg tie against Brunei Darussalam as Mongolia went on to register a 2-0 win at the MFF Stadium in Ulaanbaatar.

Japan attacked from the first blow of the whistle but could not find a way past the Trinidad defence and Phillip.

Japan next take on El Salvador at Hitomebore Stadium Miyagi on Sunday before leaving for the Copa America, which gets under way on June 14.

Japan will play in Group C of the Copa America with Chile, Ecuador and Uruguay also in the fray. Asian champions Qatar will play in Group B with Argentina, Colombia and Paraguay to contend with.