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.

Both sides had collected one point from their opening matches, with Al Jazeera drawing Al Najma 1-1 in Bahrain and Kuwait SC being held to a goalless draw by Syria’s Al Ittihad in Kuwait City last week.

Omar Al Manasreh delivered the first warning to the Kuwaiti side, launching a thunderous effort from 30 yards out after Ahmed Saleh had laid the ball back to him. Goalkeeper Hameed Youssuf was, however, alert to the threat, producing a fine reflex save to keep the scores level.

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.

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.

Despite their morale boosting win against FC Alay in the Preliminary Stage, Ahal found themselves trailing following Oibek Abdugafarov’s 11th minute strike.

The Turkmen, however, clawed their way back into the game when they found a way through the Khujand defence with Didar Durdiyev hitting the back of the net in the 29th minute.

Colombo entered the match with confidence, having beaten Transport United 9-2 on aggregate in the Preliminary Stage, but the Indian Super League champions showed their qualities to keep the game tight.

The deadlock continued well into the second half, with both sides unable to find a way through.

Both teams are vying for their first appearance in the Group Stage and were evenly matched in the first half. However, they struggled to find the back of the net with the score 0-0 at half-time.

Ryomyong defeated Mongolia’s Erchim FC 6-0 on aggregate in the Preliminary Stage, but the Koreans could not find a way past Tai Po - who are appearing in the Continental competition after nearly nine years - in the second half.