Last season’s AFC Champions League Elite™ runners-up Machida Zelvia started brightly with Keiya Sento smashing a shot wide as the pace of Yusuke Matsuo and Takahiro Akimoto on the flanks caused Svay Rieng plenty of problems.

A stunning piece of individual brilliance saw the home side take the lead in the 20th minute when Duke flicked the ball over Rui Pires and he then proceeded to volley the ball in from 30 yards out off the underside of the bar.

Machida Zelvia continued to find openings with two similar chances falling the way of Takuma Nishimura - sent through into the box by Duke and then Matsuo - but on both occasions he dragged his effort just wide of the mark.

It wasn’t just one-way traffic in the first half as Svay Rieng were able to work the ball into Machida Zelvia’s half often but were let down by their final actions to leave the Cambodian side trailing at the interval.

Despite being in front, Go Kuroda opted to make two changes for the second half, sending on Yengi and Henry Mochizuki for Duke and Futa Tokumura as Machida Zelvia stepped up another gear.

Matsuo had a brace of chances, Nishimura was inches away from a tap-in and then Yengi headed over with the pressure building on Svay Rieng’s defence.

It was only a matter of time until the second goal and it came on the hour mark, Sento cleverly picked out Yengi in the box and the latter wrong-footed goalkeeper Vierak Dara to slot home.

Machida Zelvia will next face Singapore’s Tampines Rovers FC while Svay Rieng host Shanghai Shenhua FC of China PR on October 15.