The central Asians failed to score in the opening half but a second-half brace by Odil Ahmedov and a late strike by Server Djeparov secured a 3-0 victory that preserved their perfect record in the qualifiers and kept them firmly at the top of the group.

"It was very difficult for us in the first half," Inileev explained.

"Although we were playing in the evening, it was very hot and they may be the reason for our poor performance in the first half."

Despite suggestions by his opposite number, Emile Rustom, that Uzbekistan are good enough to compete in European competition, Inileev insisted that his team still have plenty to learn in their current campaign.

"Regarding the comments of my Lebanese colleague that we are a European-level team, I have to say that we still need to work hard to reach that sort of standard," he said.

Inileev is confident though about his side’s chances of finishing with a perfect record in the group although there will be a couple of key absentees for their final game against Saudi Arabia in Riyadh next weekend.

"Two our key players - Maksim Shatskikh and Vitaliy Denisov - will miss our next match in Saudi Arabia because of club duty but we will still be going out to win that match as well."

While Uzbekistan celebrated a fifth win in a row, Lebanon coach Emile Rustom was left to lament his team’s fifth straight loss.

"It was hard match for us as we were playing without eight key players," he said.

"This match was not decisive for us but we were well motivated but unfortunately we lost to a good team who play at a European level."