Scott Chipperfield's header after 26 minutes proved enough to settle the Group Two encounter at Pakhtakor Stadium on the back of a sterling defensive effort by the Socceroos which was led by Lucas Neill.

Despite seeing Uzbekistan beaten 3-0 by Qatar in Doha at the weekend, Verbeek was guarding against complacency going into the game and felt his fears were well founded.

"It was tough match for both teams," he said.

"Both teams played well and the fans were proud of our performance. Uzbekistan held no surprises for me, I knew this team was very good.

"I like how Lucas Neill played but I don't like to single out only one player. All of my boys did their jobs very well."

It was the home side's second consecutive defeat and leaves them at the foot of the table and with a mountain to climb if they are to secure one of the two automatic places for South Africa.

Nevertheless, Verbeek underlined it was too early to write off Uzbekistan's chances just yet.

"Even though Uzbekistan have lost two matches and have no points, this team will still be very tough opponents for any team. They are good at set pieces, they are tactically aware and are also technically proficient."

Uzbekistan coach Rauf Inileev conceded the result was a setback to their qualification hopes for their first-ever World Cup finals but insisted they could bounce back.

"It was crucial match for us," he said.

"We had to win it but we were unlucky. We missed chances again and we let our opponents score. But we still have a chance to fight for one of World Cup places."

Inileev also paid tribute to their opponents' defensive resilience, claiming it was the main factor in the outcome of the clash.

"We tried to use wings but the Australians made it very tough for us," he added.

"The efforts of their defenders made a difference."

ends