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.

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.

Four goals within the opening 45 minutes set the tone on a night when Indonesia rallied magnificently late on but were left to rue a fragile defensive display which ultimately proved their undoing.

The result saw Qatar go second in Group A behind the United Arab Emirates - who they lost to on Matchday One - and left them knowing that a win against Chinese Taipei on Wednesday would give them every chance of progressing.

The talented 18-year-old midfielder followed up a consummate performance from Matchday One with yet another fine assist and two well-taken goals to help his side record their second successive victory and put them within touching distance of the next phase.

Having underlined their place at the top of the Group A table, the UAE could go through if host nation Indonesia beat Qatar in the day’s later game, but will definitely guarantee their progress should they get a point from their clash with the Indonesians on Wednesday.

The Japanese were forced to dig deep by their regional rivals as they survived a stirring first half revival to eventually run out 5-2 winners in the Group B clash at the Pakansari Stadium in Bogor.

The result saw Japan assume pole position in Group B, although as their clash with third-placed Thailand looms large on the horizon, Kageyama is adamant that his side can ill afford to bask in the glow of their early success.

The Southeast Asian side came into the competition targeting one of four berths at the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup, but squandered an early lead before falling to a 2-1 defeat courtesy of Mohammed Al Zubi's 89th minute goal in their opening match.

Knowing his side will be staring down the barrel of elimination with another defeat, the Vietnamese boss said it was time to move on.

"After losing a game late, the psychology can be a problem," he acknowledged. "But we know that this is possible in football. You can win, you draw or you can lose, but we must make our players understand that they need to look forward.