Only needing to avoid defeat to ensure their progress, the Uzbeks who finished fourth in 2014, took the lead after only two minutes thanks to Doston Ibragimov’s opener at the Bangabandhu National Stadium.

The talented midfielder made life even more difficult for Bangladesh when he netted his and his side’s second on 62 minutes, before substitute Bobir Abdixolikov effectively ended the game as a contest by making it 3-0 with eleven minutes remaining.

Sukhrob Nurulloev, who had also come off the bench, rounded off the scoring with Uzbekistan’s fourth in the 92nd minute to secure a win that guaranteed the Central Asians of a spot in Bahrain next year.

In the day’s earlier game, Mohomed Afam Akram scored twice as Sri Lanka registered their first goals and win of the qualifiers by beating Bhutan 2-0 to finish third.

Ten group winners and five (to be confirmed in due course) best second-placed teams will qualify for the finals while hosts Bahrain received an automatic qualification (total 16 teams). AFC U-19 Championship finals will be held in Bahrain in October 2016.