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."

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.

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.

The Southeast Asian side squandered an early lead and eventually fell to Mohammad Al Zubi's 89th-minute winner, five minutes after captain and defensive lynchpin Dang Van Toi suffered a game-ending injury.

Reflecting on the defeat, Tuan pinpointed the loss of his skipper as the turning point in the encounter.

"We lost the game, but for me both teams had a 50-50 chance and our problem came after 84 minutes when my captain was injured," he said. "Then in the last minute we lose a goal and we have no time to change it.

"We must wait to see what the doctor says (regarding Toi). Maybe tomorrow we'll have the results."

Despite the eventual scoreline, Japan were made to dig deep by their regional rivals who came from to two goals down to level matters towards the end of a frenetic first period.

However, three more Japanese goals after the break – including a stunning Takefusa Kubo free-kick – eventually proved the difference, with Kageyama delighted by how the reigning champions reacted to their earlier setback.

Trailing 3-1 in the dying embers of the match, strikes from Korawich Tasa and Suphanat Mueanta on 87 and 94 minutes respectively ultimately ensured a share of the spoils for Thailand – a last gasp revival that clearly delighted the tactician.

“The first thing that I want to do is thank the players who kept going right until the end,” declared Ithsara.

“When we conceded the third goal I thought the team reacted in a very good and positive way and for that they should definitely be praised.

“We managed to get a draw thanks to the way they reacted, and we are happy with that result from our first game.”