Kuching City captain James Okwuosa made a decisive intervention in the seventh minute to prevent Kim Dae-won from giving the home side the lead, the defender throwing himself in front of the forward’s goal-bound strike to steer the ball behind for a corner.

Dae-won bent another effort high and wide soon after while the 29-year-old was denied in the 12th minute when goalkeeper Haziq Nadzli’s touch looped the ball into the air and over his own head, only for Ariff Farhan to clear off the line and into Haziq’s hands.

The hosts went in front in the 28th minute when the ball was worked to Kang Jun-hyuk on the right by Lee Seung-won and, from there possession was laid off to Cho, who hit an unstoppable right-foot strike over Haziq.

Ramadhan Saifullah almost responded immediately for Kuching City, finding space inside the area to shoot into the side-netting while Dylan Wenzel-Halls slashed his attempt over the bar moments later. That was to prove a rare sight of goal for the visitors, however.

With the lead secured, it took Gangwon until the 70th minute to create another opening of significance only for Choe to squander the chance when he looped his header high over the bar.

Moments later Kim Dae-won drove down the right side of the penalty area but was unable to control his right-foot shot as the ball flew over the corner of the goal. Kim Dong-hyun’s long range shot six minutes from time was also off target.

Substitute Abdalla Halaihal was denied Gangwon’s second by Haziq in the 90th minute but it mattered little as the hosts closed out the win.