Despite missing a first half penalty, the Al Shabab ace shone brightly against Saudi Arabia’s Southeast Asian opponents, scoring a well-taken opener and being an influential figure throughout the victory which saw the Young Green Falcons fly to the top of the Group D standings.

With the dust settling on his Player of the Match display, Al Ammar was however quick to praise his side’s united approach while promising that he is determined to improve even further in order to help Saudi Arabia’s cause both now and in the future.

The Croatian head coach was pleased with Harimau Muda's effort in their opening Group D clash, as the Southeast Asians ensured it wasn't only the humid conditions that made the two-time champions sweat.

"We are here as underdogs, playing against Saudi Arabia who are one of Asia's power teams and nobody expects too much, but we gave them a tough time," the former Johor Darul Ta'zim and Kelantan boss explained.

"I told the boys I am proud that they fought for all 90 minutes. I think that they were playing near maximum.

"Overall, I am not disappointed, I am proud. Of course, there are mistakes. There are always mistakes and if there weren't you'd win every game, but we are not at that level yet."

Turki Al Ammar and Salem Al Saleem found the back of the net for the Saudis, who endured a tense finish after dominating most of the match, with Malaysia failing to register a shot on target until their 88th minute goal from Hadi Fayyadh.

The win puts the West Asian side in pole position in Group D as they look to reach a ninth FIFA U-20 World Cup by finishing as one of the top four teams in the competition.

Sharafjon Solehov's precise 77th minute strike gave the Central Asians a 1-0 win at Patriot Chandrabhaga Stadium, putting them in a strong position to each the quarter-finals for the second consecutive edition of the competition.

Speaking after the match, a delighted Ergashev said the result was a fair reward for his young side's performance.

"China is a good team with good players, but we had more chances," he declared "We could have scored earlier also."

"In football the best team on the day is the winner, and I think Tajikistan was the best team in this game."

The 18-year-old rattled in a superb 25-yard effort to put the Central Asians in a strong position to qualify for the quarter finals, joining Saudi Arabia as Group D leaders.

Solehov's late winner broke a 77-minute impasse after the two sides, the last to make their first appearances on the Indonesia 2018 stage, had played out a tense contest with little between them.

The talented 19-year-old’s fearsome drive from fully 30 yards was just one of the highlights as his side beat regional rivals DPR Korea 5-2 to begin the defence of their AFC U-19 Championship crown in some style on Thursday.

The victory took head coach Masanaga Kageyama’s charges to the top of the Group B standings and provided further evidence as to why Ito is held in such high regard by both club and country.

With a second group stage game to come against Thailand on Monday, Ito was however quick to dismiss any sense of personal glory, insisting instead that only one thing mattered – Japan retaining their title.