“Of course we are happy to go into the next round,” said Urinboev. “This game was important and we’re happy to win this game. Now we have one more battle with (Islamic Republic of) Iran, if we win, we can take a 100% record into the next round.

“I’m so happy to score a second goal and hopefully this situation can continue for me.

“This tournament is important for us and also the fans because we are the defending champions and hopefully we are also the next champions.”

Indonesia battled hard in the first half with Jens Raven equalising two minutes after Urinboev’s opener but fizzled out after the break with defender Muhammad Iqbal lamenting the defensive errors and lapses in concentration which allowed Uzbekistan to score through Abdugafur Haydarov and Saidumarkhon Nurullayaev.

“Thanks to the fans for always supporting us, as well as the staff who worked hard for this game which we played well but they were just better,” said the Barito Putera player, with Indonesia to play Yemen for pride in their final match on Wednesday. 

“Whenever we make a mistake, we get punished. We take it as a good lesson and experience to learn.”