Farhad Tadjiyev scored the only goal of the game in the 30th minute, heading home Ildar Magdeev's cross to give Mirdjalal Kasimov's team the win and move them level on points with the Emirates at the top of Group C.

Uzbekistan trail by virtue of goal difference after Dominique Bathanay's side handed Malaysia - the only other team in the group - a 5-0 thrashing in their opening game of the qualifying tournament.

The top two teams in each of the five qualifying groups progress to the 16-team finals, which will be held in Qatar in January 2011.

Joining hosts Qatar and defending champions Iraq among those to have already qualified for the finals are Saudi Arabia and South Korea - who finished second and third respectively in the last edition of the competition - and India, who won last year's AFC Challenge Cup.