Kuwait turned on the power in the second half to defeat Palestine 7-1 while Bahrain and UAE played to a thrilling 3-3 draw at the Khalifa Sports City Stadium in Manama.

The top two teams from Groups A and B will qualify for next February's Finals, and the respective third place finishers will meet in a play-off match to determine the final ticket from the West Zone.

Lebanon defeated Oman 10-2 while Saudi Arabia beat Qatar 5-2 as both teams boosted their hopes of a top two finish in Group B.

The top two teams from Groups A and B will qualify for next February's Finals, and the respective third place finishers will meet in a play-off match to determine the final ticket from the West Zone.

The Qualifiers are divided into four zones, with the West Zone kicking off the action on Wednesday, before the 2019 AFF Futsal Championship, which will serve as qualification for the ASEAN Zone, starts on October 21.

The East Zone hopefuls will begin their campaign the next day, while the Central & South Zone commences on October 23. A total 31 teams will be bidding to qualify.

IR Iran, 12-time Asian champions, fell at the final hurdle in their bid for the Caspian Cup title, losing 9-3 to hosts Russia to finish the competition in second place.

Ali Asghar Hassanzadeh gave Iran the lead in the first half, and further goals from Farhad Tavakoli, Hossein Tayebi and Hassanzadeh again secured them a second consecutive title.

The battle between the Continent’s two futsal giants began as expected, with both sides playing a high pressure game with intense marking from the first blow of the whistle, and Mahdi Javid came dangerously close for Iran in the opening minutes when his effort struck the goal frame.

Japan head coach Bruno Garcia kept his players fully charged with flying substitutions which forced Iran to constantly adapt to the changing formations.

The MVP of the competition is awarded to the player who has shown excellence in play, and his overall contribution to his team during the entire competition, and Hassanzadeh has shown those qualities.

“Firstly, I would like to say thanks to AFC, for arranging such an excellent tournament, and for allowing us to participate,” said Hassanzadeh.

“And I’m more than happy to receive this award. But I don't believe it’s mine alone, as it belongs to my team. All the players who have helped me throughout the tournament.”

Tayebi edged two-time AFC Most Valuable Player of The Year and teammate, Ali Asghar Hassanzadeh who scored two goals against Japan to finish second with 12.

It was Tayebi's second top scorer award following his first win four years ago in Vietnam.

Tayebi was instrumental throughout the tournament as he scored hat-tricks against Myanmar, China and Thailand. His last goal of the tournament against The Samurai Five in the final on Sunday summed up his fantastic tournament.