Chances came and went for India on a night when goals from Khalfan Mubarak and Ali Mabkhout left a talented Indian side with plenty to ponder following their earlier success against Thailand.

"I am proud of the boys, I don't think people would have expected we could have performed the way we did against the UAE. We were very unlucky and could have scored two or three goals,” declared the JSW Bengaluru custodian.

On a night of high-octane entertainment at a wonderfully atmospheric Zayed Sports City Stadium, goals from Khalfan Mubarak and Ali Mabkhout helped secure the vital victory, one which reignites the UAE’s aspirations of reaching the knockout phase following a 1-1 draw with regional rivals Bahrain on Matchday One.

With all still to play for in Monday’s final set of fixtures, the table-topping Emiratis are on four points, one ahead of India in second and third-placed Thailand after the Southeast Asians beat Bahrain 1-0 earlier in the day.

The result saw the Syria Football Association announcing the sacking of coach Bernd Stange a few hours later, with Fajr Ibrahim appointed as his replacement.

For Jordan, the win - courtesy of goals from Mousa Suleiman Al Tamari and Tareq Khattab - means Borkelmans and his team can finish no lower than second in Group B no matter the outcome of the remaining games in the group.

Australia face Palestine in Abu Dhabi on Friday before Jordan take on the Palestinians in their final group game on January 15, when the Socceroos go head-to-head with the Syrians in Al Ain.

The Syrian Football Association issued a statement hours after the loss to their neighbours, stating Stange has been replaced by former coach Ayman Hakeem for the remainder of the tournament. However, in a later update, former head coach Fajr Ibrahim was announced as the replacement.

Syria are due to face Australia on January 15 in their final game in Group B and must win against the defending champions to have any hope of advancing to the knockout phase of the competition for the first time in the country’s history.

Borkelmans’ team secured a 2-0 win over Syria in Al Ain that guaranteed the Jordanians a top two finish in Group B, having already opened their 2019 campaign with an impressive 1-0 win over defending champions Australia.

Those results mean Jordan will finish no lower than second in the group no matter what happens in the remaining matches and the country will advance to the knockout rounds of the AFC Asian Cup for the third time since making their debut at the competition in 2004.

Amanov opened the scoring for the Central Asians with an impressive first-half thunderbolt, before Japan netted three times after the break to seal a win following what had proved to be a stern test for the four-time Asian champions.

Despite the defeat, and given that Turkmenistan still have two group stage games to play, hope continues to spring eternal for Yazguly Hojageldiyev’s charges – with Amanov now targeting all three points from the Uzbekistan encounter.

After a goalless first half, Chanathip Songkrasin fired home a superb shot that eventually sealed Thailand’s 1-0 victory, reviving their AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 Group A campaign.

“I felt that we did very well, especially in the second half,” Yodyadthai said.

“The players delivered what I wanted although we had adjusted a few tactical points from the last game. The players kept going and compliments to Bahrain for a strong match. We are very happy with the result and we will come back (better) for the next game.”