Just like it was against Islamic Republic of Iran on Thursday, DPR Korea improved after the interval and their persistence looked to have been rewarded when they were awarded a penalty in the 85th minute following Eshmurodov’s handball for which he was shown the red card. Jong Il Gwan’s penalty, however, was saved by Yusupov as Uzbekistan held on for the win. When the Qualifiers resume in March, Uzbekistan will host Kyrgyz Republic with DPR Korea going away to face Qatar.