Iran started on the front foot and had Malaysia pinned in their own half but with the hosts defending resolutely, needed a moment of inspiration to find the breakthrough.

That came in the fourth minute when goalkeeper Saied Momeni ventured over the halfway line before creating space for the unmarked Mehdi Mehdikhani to fire into the top corner for the opener.

A lapse in concentration from Malaysia when defending a corner saw them go further behind in the 12th minute as Masoud Shavardazi's cleverly taken kick found Mohammadhossein Derakhshani, who easily turned the ball in at the back post.

Iran were reminded that Malaysia were still capable of troubling them with efforts in the dying minutes of the first half, Syahir Iqbal forcing Momeni into a save before Awalluddin Nawi and Syahir again shooting wide from good positions.

After the interval, the pattern of the game remained the same with Iran dominating play but unlike the first half, found the Malaysian defence tougher to breach.

Limited to shots from distance, Iran's best chance came in the 27th minute from Shavardazi but Malaysia custodian Syaifuddin Syukri showed good reflexes to block the powerfully struck attempt.

Iran's persistent pressure was rewarded late in the half with Hossein Tayebi pouncing on a rebound in the 33rd minute before Ali Khalilvand looped a header over Syaifuddin Syukri to seal qualification for the 13-time champions.

UAE and Bangladesh entered the tie short on confidence, with both having lost their first two matches and this was reflected in the cagey start to the match.

The game, however, opened up in the 11th minute when UAE took the lead after a one-two between Abdulla Alfalasi and Rashed Alhanaee with the former stroking home past Jahid Rabbi.

The lead only lasted a minute as Bangladesh capitalised on a poor Ahmed Beshr touch which opened up the space for Intishar Chowdhury to slot in the equaliser.

The South Asians started the second half in positive fashion, going ahead in the 23rd minute when Chowdhury strode forward unchallenged to smash home a low shot.

The lead, however, was a short-lived one as Abdulla Almheiri turned in Hamad Alblooshi's drilled cross a minute later.

UAE's experience then saw them reclaiming control to turn the game around with strikes from Alfalasi (26th), Mohammed Alrayssi (both 31st), Hamad Alzaabi (34th), Ahmed Beshr (37th) and Khalid Alhammadi (39th) sealing their only win of the campaign.