After the third qualification round Thailand’s Sarayoot Chaikamdee leads the standings with eight goals in as many games, with five of the Osotspa forward’s strikes coming over two legs in their second stage fixture against lowly Macau.

But with Thailand failing to advance, the man nicknamed "Joe Five Yards" for his poaching ability has scored his last 2010 World Cup qualification goal in the three-time ASEAN champions’ 3-2 loss to Bahrain.

And this leaves the door open for Shatskikh, who is just one goal behind Sarayoot with the Uzbeks still in the pot for Friday’s fourth round draw.

Like Sarayoot, Shatskikh’s tally was built against lesser opposition, with the 29-year-old Uzbek skipper scoring five in one second round match against Chinese Taipei.

He then found the net in the Uzbekistan’s 3-0 home win over Saudi Arabia and in the stunning 7-3 victory over Singapore, where Shatskikh impressed not with his goal scoring ability but with the way his position and movement tore apart the reigning ASEAN champions’ defence allowing five of his team-mates to get their names on the score sheet.

Shatskikh, who alongside Midrjalal Kasimov is Uzbekistan’s joint-top scorer with 29 goals, knows that he faces strong competition in the race to finish top of the podium in the Asian World Cup qualifiers.

The UAE’s Ismail Mattar is two behind while Sebastian Soria, Qatar’s Uruguay-born striker who is the spearhead of the 2011 AFC Asian Cup hosts’ attack, and Shatskikh’s fellow Uzbek Server Djeparov are on four each.