Mohamed's side secured a one-goal lead to take into the second leg in Jordan after Ahmad Alzughier scored the only goal of the game with just six minutes remaining.

"The clean sheet was not the main priority, we came here just to win because it is the first half of the match and we play to win, we needed to win," he said.

"We are always confident in our player's ability to do their best and we did not give up. We tried to control the mood of the match."

Sun Hei coach Koo Luam Khen had stressed the importance of keeping a clean sheet prior to the game, but remained upbeat about his side's chances heading into the second leg despite his side struggling in the closing stages of the match which is just their third since May.

"I am disappointed not to keep a clean sheet, but our fitness let us down in the last 10 minutes," he said.

"It was a very tight game and when the stamina and fitness goes you make simple mistakes and you give away the ball in the midfield and get punished.

"The overall performance was OK, both teams didn't have too many clear cut chances but our goalkeeper was forced to make several crucial saves which could have given us a lot to do nest week.

"It is still all to play for next week, but we have a very small squad and I hope we do not get any injuries in our league game against Happy Valley on Friday."

Sun Hei captain Cristiano Cordeiro added: "We did the best we could after just two games this season. We could not have given any more as everyone gave 100%, but it was not enough.

"They had a lot of chances and we only had a few, but we were disappointed to concede so close to the end."