UZBEKISTAN 1-0 BAHRAIN

Tashkent: Uzbekistan advanced to the third round of the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers and booked their place at the 2019 AFC Asian Cup on Tuesday after recording a 1-0 win over Bahrain at the Bunyodkor Stadium.

The only goal of the game arrived in the 50th minute when Sardor Rashidov scored with a lovely individual effort, which was enough in the end to hand the hosts maximum points.

The result, coupled with second-placed DPR Korea’s shock 3-2 defeat to Philippines, meant that the Uzbeks finished top of Group H with a five-point buffer, keeping them on course for a first-ever appearance at the World Cup and ensuring that they will be playing at the Asian Cup for a seventh straight edition.

As expected, it was Uzbekistan who were the dominant side from kickoff as they were cheered on by huge crowd at the Bunyodkor Stadium, but a lacklustre showing saw them fail to really threaten the visitors in the first half.

The first real chance arrived in the 21st minute when Anzur Ismailov met Server Djeparov’s freekick with a volley, but could only send a looping effort onto the roof of the net.

Five minutes before the interval, they came even closer after Rashidov was allowed to let fly from 30 yards but, having beaten goalkeeper Abbas Ahmed all ends up, could only watch on as the ball sailed narrowly wide.

But in the 50th minute, a moment of inspiration by Rashidov provided the Uzbeks with the breakthrough as he received possession outside the box, and eased his way past Waleed Al Hayam, Husain Baba Mohamed and Sayed Mohamed Adnan before rifling a shot into the back of the net.

It did seem as though they would build on their lead but instead, they decided to sit back and allowed Bahrain to push forward and it could have proved costly, although by now, news was filtering into the stadium that the North Koreans had been beaten.

In the end, the visitors just lacked that killer touch in the final third that would have helped them draw level, paving the way for Uzbekistan to claim a nervy win that ultimately would not have been needed anyway.

Meanwhile, despite finishing fourth in Group H, Bahrain have advanced to the third round of Asian Cup qualifying as one of the four best fourth-placed teams, avoiding the two-legged elimination playoffs.