The Al Ain midfielder, who was only called up into the squad as a late replacement for the injured Hidesmasa Morita, gave Japan the lead 13 minutes into the second half of their meeting with the Central Asian side, with the goal earning Hajime Moriyasu’s side top spot in Group F.

That means Japan will meet Saudi Arabia in what promises to be one of the highlights of the Round of 16 as Moriyasu and company attempt to deliver a record-extending fifth title for the Samurai Blue.

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.”

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 defeated Turkmenistan 3-1 on Thursday, with Muhsen Al Ghassani and Mohammed Al Musallami scoring late goals after the Central Asian side had equalised through Altymyrat Annadurdyyev following Ahmed Al Mahaijri's opener in the 20th minute.

The three points meant Oman squeezed into the last 16 as one of the four best third-placed finishers, having fallen 2-1 and 1-0 to Uzbekistan and Japan respectively in their earlier Group F matches.

That, said, Verbeek, is the main reason why Oman deserve their spot in the Round of 16, their first in four appearances in the Finals.

Having each won their first two matches, the teams went into the game with their places in the last 16 secured but, level on six points apiece, top spot remained up for grabs, although it was Iran who led on goal difference to mean a draw would see them finish in first place.

But much of the talk in the build-up centred on the incredible 3-3 draw in the quarter-finals of the 2015 competition – a game that Beiranvand watched from the bench – when Iraq prevailed 7-6 on penalties in what was one of the most memorable matches in the tournament’s history.

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.

Having already qualified for the Round of 16, Wednesday’s 2-0 win over regional rivals China PR made it three wins from three for Paulo Bento’s charges as they claimed pole position in Group C without conceding a goal.

Despite his side’s flying start, Son, who only joined the squad earlier this week, is adamant that the two-time champions of Asia remain determined to improve even further.