Nejmeh captain Kassem El Zein nearly gifted Al Jaish the opening goal 10 minutes into the match, but the defender’s miscued clearance was headed just wide by Mohammed Al Wakid.

Nader Matar produced Nejmeh’s first chance of the match in the 21st minute, sending a long range shot that swerved at the last second, narrowly missing the target.

A catalogue of mistakes at the back allowed Mohammad Al Basha to net Al Wehdat’s first goal of the afternoon in the 16th minute.

Hilal Al Quds captain Tamer Salah fluffed his lines while attempting to clear Rajaei Ayed’s cross from the corner kick. The loose ball fell to Al Basha whose tame header from close range was misjudged by goalkeeper Khaled Azam to find its way to the back of the net.

The Syrians started with a strong attacking intent and had their first real chance within six minutes when Mohamad Muhtadi controlled a cross inside the box and laid it for Mohamad Omar whose left-footed effort from close range was collected by the goalkeeper following a deflection.

Senegalese forward Mouhammadou Drame responded with an attempt from inside the box that was easily caught by the Syrian goalkeeper.

Competing in the AFC Cup for the first time in their 103-year history, the Indonesian side took a first half lead before being pegged back by a stunning second half strike from 20-year-old Hami Syahin.

Despite pushing hard to find a winner late in the game and forcing Rudy Khairullah into a number of fine saves, the six-time Indonesian league champions had to settle for a point away from home, a result Kalezić was happy to accept after the game.

The Jordanian side had marked their return to the competition with a hard-fought victory over Nejmeh at King Abdullah II Stadium on Monday.

Just 48 hours before their first continental encounter, Al Wehdat had to navigate an away trip to Irbid where they defeated Al Sareeh 4-2 in the domestic league. And coach Yakoubi was adamant that fixture congestion had impacted his side’s preparations for the Nejmeh clash.

The Indonesian champions failed to make the most of home advantage in the Group G encounter and the Vietnamese side will certainly be satisfied with a point from a tricky away fixture.