After beating Malaysia 3-1 in Tashkent on Saturday, Anvar Gafurov, Bakhodir Nasimov and captain Timur Kapadze scored as Uzbekistan maintained their 100% record in Group C with another convincing win to qualify with a game to spare.

Gafurov and Nasimov scored either side of half-time for the visitors, and after Baddrol pulled a goal back for Malaysia with 20 minutes remaining, Kapadze sealed the win in the closing stages.

“It was not a performance which was deserving of praise,” said Kasimov.

“We are struggling not only with injuries, but some of the players who we brought here also fell sick. So the overall performance was not very good.

“We have already qualified for the Asian Cup but now we will have to make sure that we complete the fixtures on a winning note.”

Pointless Malaysia, meanwhile, must beat United Arab Emirates in their final Group C match at the start of January to stand any chance of qualifying and then hope Uzbekistan beat UAE in March.

But after suffering a third defeat in the competition, coach K. Rajagobal was realistic about his side’s chance, but was pleased with the display of his young side.

“It was a good performance from the lads even though we gave away a lot of corners and set pieces in the first half,” he said.

“The important thing is that they came back after being two goals down.

“But we missed Zaquan Adha Abdul Razak due to suspension as he would have made a difference to the team with his speed.

“But we know that it was not going to be easy against a side which is technically better and who pass the ball around so well and with confidence.”

After seeing Malaysia lose 5-0 to UAE at the start of the group stage, Kasimov was quick to offer the young Malaysian side some encouragement.

“There’s some good potential in this squad and if they are kept together, they can be stronger in the future,” he added.