Miše’s men prevailed comfortably at Colombo Race Course Ground, with FC Dordoi’s Vahyt Orazshedov and PFC Lokomotiv’s Arslan Amanov scoring either side of half-time to complete a satisfactory first step on the Road to Qatar and China PR.

While Miše believes Korea Republic, Turkmenistan’s next opponents, stand out as the strongest team in the group, the Croatian boss sees no reason why his side cannot finish this stage of the competition in second place, opening up the possibility of advancing to the Third Round of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 qualification as one of the four best placed runners-up.

After opening the scoring through Orazsahedov, Turkmenistan went on to ensure all three points at the Colombo Racecourse Ground when Amanov fired home after the break to hand Ante Mise’s charges the ideal start to their latest bid for international success.

The result leaves Turkmenistan occupying second place in the group standings following DPR Korea’s 2-0 win over Lebanon earlier in the day.

The tie was a rematch of when the two teams met in the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 last January with Lebanon securing a 4-1 win over the East Asians.

However, DPR Korea had gathered a steady momentum coming into the Qualifiers after emerging champions in the 2019 Intercontinental Cup two months ago.

The 48-year-old saw his side fall behind to two goals from DPR Korea captain Jong Il-gwan while Lebanon captain Hassan Maatouk failed to reduce the deficit in the second half from the spot.

Just when India started thinking Chhetri's 24th minute goal would be enough to claim the first three points of their bid to qualify for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and AFC Asian Cup China 2023, Rabia Alawi Al Mandhar struck twice in the final eight minutes to secure the win for Oman at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati.