Bahrain-based defender Yasser Shahen broke the deadlock after 14 minutes with a well-taken lob following a long clearance from goalkeeper Ibrahim Alma before Kenja Turaev levelled the contest with a close-range header in the 73rd minute.

And with a repeat of Syria's 1-1 draw with Oman looking the likely outcome, Oleg Zoteev scored with three minutes left on the clock to set up a decisive showdown with the Gulf Sultanate on Thursday.

Syria went into the must-win match with striker Omar Al Suma suspended following his red card for violent conduct during the interval of the 1-1 draw with Oman while midfielder Solaiman Solaiman was serving a one-match ban for picking up his second yellow card of the qualifiers, which came when gave away the foul which led to Hussain Al Hadhri scoring Oman's opener from the penalty spot.

Thaer Krouma and Omar Kharbin came in for the suspended duo while defender Mohamed Daas started in place of midfielder Mahmoud Al Mawas.

Ahmad Al Douni, who scored Syria's equaliser five minutes into stoppage-time, once again started on the bench,

Uzbekistan went into their first match of the three-team playoffs without suspended skipper Fozil Musaev, with Sherzodbek Karimov taking over the captain's armband, and right-back Abdulkhakhor Khojiakbarov, who injured his hamstring early in the Uzbeks 3-2 defeat to the UAE that consigned them to the playoffs.

Both sides were guilty of squandering possession cheaply in a cagey opening to Tuesday's match at the My Dinh Stadium but with the first real chance of the half Syria broke the deadlock in the 14th minute.

Syria keeper Ibrahim Alma was alert to an enterprising Uzbek attack and his long clearance bounced once before being collected on the right side of the area by defender Yasser Shahen, who subtly lifted the ball over Akbar Turaev for the opener.

It was mostly one-way traffic from that point on as the Uzbeks pressed for the equaliser but Turaev's off-target header in the 35th minute aside, the Central Asians found it difficult to penetrate a resolute Syria defence.

Ten minutes after the restart substitute Oleg Zoteev, who came on for Jasur Hasanov, forced Alma into a sharp save with a diving header before the Uzbeks finally made the break through when Turaev stooped in to head home the equalising goal in the 73rd minute.

Syria should have regained the advantage with six minutes left on the clock but Al Douni could not repeat his heroics of the Oman game and fired wide with the goal at his mercy after Turaev had did well to block Mohamad Al Refai's shot.

And the miss proved costly as Zoteev kept his composure to fire in that near post in the 87th minute to end Syria's hopes of a place in the AFC-CAF playoff with Senegal on April 23.