Khawas, a lieutenant with the Nepal Army, missed the side's first four FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and AFC Asian Cup China 2023 qualifying matches due to work commitments and is looking to help revive the South Asian team's campaign.

Nepal have three points with Kuwait set to be tough opposition, the West Asian side having won the corresponding fixture 7-0 in September. They were also in impressive form on Thursday, defeating Chinese Taipei 9-0.

Nguyen Tien Linh’s super strike was the difference as Vietnam held on for victory at My Dinh Stadium on Thursday to move top of Group E, while the UAE dropped to third place with six points from two wins and two defeats.

Vietnam still have four games left in FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and AFC Asian Cup China 2023 qualification, and their next match is against regional rivals Thailand in Hanoi on Tuesday.

Thailand suffered their first Asian Qualifiers defeat to Southeast Asian rivals Malaysia on Thursday, making the Vietnam tie even more important.

They are currently second in Group G, three points behind high-flying Vietnam who lead on 10 points following their victory over the United Arab Emirates on Matchday Five in the race to qualify for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and AFC Asian Cup China 2023.

Facing the second-highest seed in the group against the backdrop of a chilly Bishkek evening, goals from Takumi Minamino and Genki Haraguchi either side of half-time helped the Samurai Blue seal what was ultimately a convincing win; their fourth in succession without conceding a goal in the Asian Qualifiers.

Speaking after the game, Moriyasu said he had been impressed by his side’s ability to achieve the result which took them a step closer to the next round of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and AFC Asian Cup China 2023 qualifying campaign.

Lippi announced his intention to stand down from the role during the post-match press conference after Zhang Linpeng’s 76th minute own goal handed Syria a fourth win in a row to leave China PR’s hopes of advancing to the next round in jeopardy.

The 31-year-old midfielder sparked a brilliant comeback for Malaysia, who trailed to Chanathip Songkrasin’s early strike, before Gan scored one and assisted the winning goal for Mohamadou Sumareh in the second half.

Taggart scored after just 12 minutes in Amman, getting on the end of Jackson Irvine’s incisive pass before lifting the ball over the keeper with a classy finish.