Eldor Shomurodov gave the Uzbeks the lead five minutes before half time but a 43rd minute header from Yoshinori Muto and a long-range drive by Tsukasa Shiotani in the second half earned Moriyasu’s side all three points despite the coach making wholesale changes to his starting line-up.

“I think how we kept doing what we needed to do was one key reason we won,” said the former Sanfrecce Hiroshima coach. “If the players stopped doing something or if their heads went down after the first goal we couldn’t have scored our first goal.

“But their heads didn’t go down, they were very positive. That’s why we were able to equalise and that led to our performance in the second half.”

The line-up was confirmed on Thursday, when Oman and Vietnam claimed the Round of 16's two remaining places, setting the scene for what promises to be an unforgettable climax to the largest ever edition of the competition.

Yoshinori Muto and Tsukasa Shiotani scored for Japan after Eldor Shomurodov had given Uzbekistan the lead and Hector Cuper’s side will now face Australia in the Round of 16 while the Japanese will face the Group E runners-up, either Saudi Arabia or Qatar.

Moriyasu made 10 changes from the team that started the 1-0 win over Oman, with striker Koya Kitagawa the only player to survive the Japan coach’s decision to overhaul his line-up.

Oman's reward for sealing a spot in the UAE 2019 knockout stage for the first time in four appearances at the Finals is a meeting with either Group C winners Korea Republic or Islamic Republic of Iran, who topped Group D.

With the top two spots in the group not within reach, Japan finishing as group winners with a 2-1 win over Uzbekistan, both sides were playing for third place which a win by two goals would seal.

Turkmenistan had produced a gritty performance in their opener before going 3-2 down to Japan but found Uzbekistan too strong as they fell 4-0. Oman, meanwhile, suffered one goal defeats to both - 2-1 to Uzbekistan and 1-0 to Japan.

The prolific 22-year-old struck either side of the break to take his tournament tally to seven on a night when Qatar registered a third successive group stage victory to head into the Round of 16 with momentum galore and leave their opponents occupying second place.

Qatar, quarter-finalists in 2000 and 2011, are now scheduled to meet Iraq in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, while three-time champions Saudi Arabia will face Japan in Sharjah a day earlier.

Lebanon lost out to Vietnam on the fairplay rule after both teams finished with identical points and goal difference.

Lebanon needed to win by four clear goals to advance but despite a valiant effort, they fell just short.

Lebanon had the first look at goal from a free-kick in the sixth minute but Hassan Maatouk saw his effort blocked by a sea of defenders.

The win was Kyrgyz Republic's first ever at the Continental Finals, with striker Vitalij Lux bagging all three goals on a day that will live long in the memory in the Central Asian nation.

Speaking before Vietnam's subsequent 2-0 win over Yemen which confirmed his side's place in the Round of 16, Krestinin acknowledged his team's efforts.