Uzbekistan skipper Djeparov gave the home side the perfect start when the 2008 AFC Player of the Year opened the scoring just eight minutes into the top-of the -table clash at Pakhtakor Stadium gone.

But the Central Asians couldn’t build on their early advantage and VfB Stuttgart attacker Okazaki, who netted a hat-trick as Japan hammered Saudi Arabia 5-0 on route to a record-breaking fourth continental title, to earn the Japanese a share of the spoils.

The draw meant that Japan and Uzbekistan stay joint-top of Group C following their respective 1-0 victories over DPR Korea and Tajikistan last Thursday but the North Koreans moved to within a point of the top two courtesy of a narrow 1-0 defeat of the Tajiks on Tuesday.

The Uzbeks will be looking to keep some breathing distance between themselves and DPR Korea when Vadim Abramov’s side head East to take on the Chollima in Pyongyang on October 11 while Japan will be confident of maintaining their unbeaten start when they entertain Tajikistan on the same day.