The two teams have guaranteed their places in the next phase of the competition after both sides posted wins over Turkmenistan and Oman, with the Uzbeks holding the advantage of a better goal-difference.

With the winners of Group F due to face either Saudi Arabia or Qatar in the Round of 16 and the runners-up slated to meet Australia, attention has been drawn towards the potential opposition in the next phase of the competition.

The West Asians showed great mental strength to overcome a stiff challenge from Lebanon to prevail 2-0 on Matchday One, following that up with a 6-0 win over DPR Korea to leave them needing just a point against Saudi Arabia in their final Group E match on Thursday to seal top spot.

Two players who have particularly caught the eye are forwards Almoez Ali and Akram Afif but goalkeeper Saad Al Sheeb, in acknowledging the contributions of the two, said a collective effort is driving Qatar's success.

Australia notched up a second win in a row on Tuesday with a 3-2 victory over Syria that took them into the Round of 16 following an earlier victory over Palestine as the Socceroos claimed second place in Group B.

The win over the Syrians in an incident-packed game was sparked by Mabil’s second goal of the tournament and the FC Midtjylland striker said the challenges of a demanding group gave the Australians a jolt ahead of their progress to the next phase of the competition.

Goals from Javokhir Sidikov and Jaloliddin Masharipov, as well as a brace from Eldor Shomurodov in the first half, secured the Central Asians a 4-0 win over Turkmenistan on Sunday to send them to the top of the Group F standings on six points.

Up next for Uzbekistan are four-time champions Japan, also on six points, in a top-of the-table clash on Thursday to decide the group winners.

Genki Haraguchi’s first-half penalty helped the Samurai Blue seal a narrow 1-0 win over Oman on Sunday, a result which – along with Uzbekistan’s subsequent defeat of Turkmenistan – saw Japan go through to the Round of 16.

Although happy with his side’s progress thus far, the former Sanfrecce Hiroshima boss was quick to add that there are other nations emerging who he feels also have the potential to become champions of Asia.

The stalemate, coupled with Syria’s last gasp loss to Australia, saw Palestine finish third in the group on two points and still in contention for a place in the next round ahead of Matchday Three action in four more groups.

Despite Palestine being forced to play a potentially nervy waiting game, Ould Ali was quick to declare that he was more than happy to be in such a position, especially given the difficult nature of the group his team were in.

Bahrain dominated the match from the start but failed to find the net going into the break at the Sharjah Stadium. But a late penalty strike from Jamal Rashed and with the United Arab Emirates-Thailand tie ending 1-1, the outcome was in Soukup’s side’s favour.

Bahrain leap-frogged Stephen Constantine’s India to claim third place on four points, confirming them as one of the best four third-placed teams who will advance to the Round of 16.