After a shaky first 30 minutes, striker Timur Khakimov scored two goals either side of the break to give the Uzbeks the upper hand in front of a vocal crowd.

And midfielder Sardor Sabirkhodjaev’s strike on the hour mark sealed a seemingly comfortable win.

The home side were, however, guilty of several missed opportunities in the first-half but were kept at bay by a combination of the woodwork and Indonesian goalkeeper Achmad Risky Kurniawan’s efforts.

However, the three points did not come easy according to Evstafeev.

“We paid a big price as it was a very hard match,” he said.

“This was the first match and we were a little nervous at start. We hoped we could win and we did it.”

When asked if there were concerns over his players’ shooting given their profligacy, Evstafeev responded: “I am glad that we can create the opportunities to score.

“And finally we did score, so that is good. In addition, the Indonesian goalkeeper was also very good in the first half.”

In a contest Uzbekistan won both physically and tactically, four from the home side went into the referee’s book and Evstafeev issued a stern warning to his players.

“I will talk not only with these boys but also all the players. They must not repeat these mistakes in the future,” he said.

Meanwhile, Indonesia coach Mundari Karya was left to rue his side’s lack of physical presence that handed their opponents an advantage they exploited.

The South-east Asians were easily outmuscled over 90 minutes, especially for the second goal when Khakimov shook off two defenders to fire home from a tight angle.

However, Karya felt the striker’s first goal was crucial to his side’s loss.

“In the first half we were very good and our players were confident. However, the key moment was the first goal. They scored through their physical strength,” he said.

“The most difficult aspect was the physical one as they are bigger and taller than us.

“We were ready to do our best but we knew they were stronger than us. They are a good team in Asia.”

On his side’s efforts towards adapting to the conditions in Tashkent, Karya added: “The weather was difficult to cope with for us. In the first-half we were okay and managed to play but in the second half, it was colder. The acclimatisation is in progress and we hope for the best.

“I believe in our players. They can do better than the last match.”