Oman conceded a late stoppage-time equaliser to draw 1-1 with Syria in the opening match of the three-team tournament played at Hanoi's My Dinh Stadium before Uzbekistan came from a goal down to defeat the Syrians 2-1 and put themselves in pole position for the April 23, AFC/CAF Playoff in Coventry, England.

But Abramov is keen to put the Uzbeks lacklustre performance against Syria behind them the and avoid a similar slipup they experienced against Oman's Gulf neighbours the UAE, when they squandered a two-goal lead at home to lose 3-2 and miss out on a guaranteed place at the London Olympics.

Recalling a disappointing first-half display on Tuesday that saw his side concede a 14th minute Yasser Shahen goal which originated from keeper Ibrahim Alma's long clearance up-field, Abramov said:

"I don't understand what happened with the players in the first half. Maybe that hadn't forgotten what happened in the Emirates game.

"This is football. Yesterday you play and tomorrow you play a little different. The players understand this and know what is at stake. It is up to them to step up.

"There is not much to be said about tomorrow's match. It will be a tough game with both teams looking to take their chance to reach the next stage."

As Abramov pointed out at Wednesday's pre-match press conference, both teams have a "50-50 chance" but Uzbekistan's win over Syria, which came courtesy of goals from Kenja Turaev and Oleg Zoteev in the 73rd and 88th minutes respectively, means that the Central Asians only have to avoid defeat to advance.

But the 49-year-old, who led Uzbekistan to the semi-finals of the AFC Asian Cup for the first time in their history, has instructed his players to disregard any notions of playing for a point.

"We must forget this. Sometimes if you play for a draw then you can end up losing. Players must forget that they only need a draw and play to win."