Having opened their campaign with a hefty loss to Japan, Pak Kwang-chon’s second half goal helped Ri Chol’s charges grab a vital victory that leaves them well placed to progress with one group stage game to come against Thailand on Thursday.

DPR Korea’s success saw the East Asians go second in Group B behind table-topping Japan who confirmed their progress with a 3-1 defeat of fourth-placed Thailand in the group’s later game. Iraq, meanwhile, are third on one point, but still in contention.

Angus Thurgate and Ben Folami scored either side of half-time to give the Young Socceroos a commanding lead, but Vietnam hit back through substitute Le Van Nam to ensure a nail-biting finale at Patrior Chandrabhaga Stadium.

The result temporarily gives Australia top spot in Group C, while Vietnam cannot advance to the quarter-finals, regardless of their result against Korea Republic on Thursday.

The East Asian team suffered a painful 1-0 defeat in their opening fixture against Tajikistan, conceding to a spectacular Sharafjon Solehov strike after 77 minutes of tense, competitive football.

A similar result against group leaders Saudi Arabia could see Cheng's side eliminated on Tuesday, but the 51-year-old insists his team's campaign is far from over.

"Of course (we can still qualify). This is not the end for us," he said.

"This is football. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose, but we still have a chance and we are looking forward to the next game."

The Emiratis dominated proceedings from the first whistle as Ali Saleh, Majid Rashid and Rashed Mubarak all scored twice to cement the UAE’s position at the top of Group A and edge them closer to a place in the competition’s quarter-finals.

With a final fixture at this stage of the competition to come against hosts Indonesia on Wednesday, Batelli believes the margin of victory will only have a positive impact on the UAE youngsters.

Under normal circumstances, completing a hat-trick to put your team 6-1 up is a safe sign that three points have been safely secured, but Qatar's match against the hosts was anything but normal.

Umaru gave Bruno Pinheiro's side a seemingly insurmountable lead when he brought up their half-dozen, but four Indonesian goals in 16 minutes - including a hat-trick from substitute Todd Rivaldo Ferre - created pandemonium among the 38,000-strong crowd.

On what proved to be a sensational night at Jakarta’s Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Qatar made the most of several Indonesian defensive lapses to take a 4-1 lead into the half-time break and then extend their advantage with two more goals after the break.

Despite a subsequent Indonesian revival which saw them come within a whisker of taking a point, Sjafri was more than aware of the damage that had been done in the opening 45 minutes.

The Persipura Jayapura livewire scored a hat-trick and earned man of the match honours despite only entering the fray as a 55th-minute substitute, but still found himself on the losing side after a series of Indonesian defensive lapses in Sunday's Group A clash.

The host nation's loss means Wednesday's final opening round game against group leaders United Arab Emirates is one of vital importance, and Rivaldo Ferre said his side remains up for the challenge.