Singapore giants Home United will take on Philippines' Global FC in the double-legged zonal semi-final of 2017 AFC Cup in May. The Group H winners were the first side to qualify for the knockout stages and they had to wait until the final matchday of the Asean group stage to know their opponents.
The Protectors, who will now take on the Group F winners, finished on top of Group H with nine points from four matches, leaving behind Than Quang Ninh of Vietnam and Yadanarbon of Myanmar, both of whom finished with four points.
Aidil Sharin's men did not have a good start to their campaign after losing to Yadanarbon 1-0 in February, but they bounced back in style to win all their remaining matches and go past the group stages of AFC Cup for the first time since 2012.
With Croatian forward Stipe Plazibat, who has set the season on fire with 18 goals from 12 games in all competitions, scoring four in the continental tournament, Home are looking in good shape to test Global, who have reached the AFC Cup for the second time in three years.
The defending United Football League champions won five of their six games, and finished above Malaysia's Johor Darul Ta'zim, who also made it to the zonal semi-final as best-placed runners-up among the Asean teams. After missing an opportunity to make the group stages of ACL, the Filipino side will be motivated to go the distance this year.
Malaysia's JDT sneak through
JDT were trialing 1-0 in their must-win Group F match against Magwe on Wednesday but a hat-trick from Argentine striker Gabriel Guerra helped them set up a last-four clash with Group G winners Ceres Negros. Vietnam's Hanoi FC were denied a spot in the zonal semi-final despite finishing joint top of the standing, by virtue of an inferior head-to-head record over Ceres.
Singapore's Tampines Rovers were in with a chance to make the semi-final but a 4-2 loss to Ceres on Wednesday ended their run in the tournament.
