(Reuters) - Uzbekistan jumped into contention for a first World Cup finals appearance by overcoming scorching temperatures to beat Qatar 1-0 away on Tuesday in a qualifier featuring few chances.
The Uzbeks had started the match in Doha bottom of the five-team Group A but their first victory puts them back in the picture to claim one of the pool's two automatic World Cup places for Brazil 2014.
The Uzbeks moved to five points, one point ahead of Qatar and Lebanon. Iran, also on four, host leaders South Korea (seven points) later on Tuesday.
Forward Sanjar Tursunov was the match-winner with a 13th minute goal. The diminutive Russia-based 25-year-old fired in a sharp volley from close to the penalty spot after turning well to meet Akmal Shorakhmedov's cross.
It was a first competitive victory for coach Mirjalol Kasimov, who took charge for a second spell in June after the Uzbeks sacked Vadim Abramov following an opening home loss to Iran.
The few chances created can be blamed on the 34 Celsius temperatures in Doha with the match kicking-off at 1525 local time.
Chinese referee Tan Hai sensibly stopped the game in the 26th minute to allow the players to get some water, a move he repeated in the 73rd and will surely be required when Qatar host the World Cup in 10 years' time.
Qatar were without forward Yusef Ahmed, who was ruled out through injury, but their team - featuring only three players born in the tiny Gulf nation - began brightly, pinning the visitors back in their own half.
The goal knocked the wind out of the home side as the Uzbeks enjoyed long spells of possession but their tidy passing failed to result in many shots at the Qatari goal.
They almost paid for the negativity with Qatari captain Wesam Rizik seeing his flicked header from a deep free-kick clawed away in first half stoppage time by Uzbek goalkeeper Ignatiy Nesterov.
Qatar's Brazilian coach Paulo Autuori made two changes at the start of the second half bringing on the attack-minded Hassan Al Haidos but the Uzbeks continued to comfortably hold the hosts at bay.
Al Haidos came closest to the equaliser when his 80th minute shot from 22 metres flashed just wide.
The defeat will heap the pressure on Autuori, Qatar's fourth coach in 18 months, who suffered a 4-1 thrashing in his last home qualifier against South Korea.
Qatar Football Association bosses are notoriously hard to please having sacked Serbian Milovan Rajevac for not beating Vietnam by enough goals in an earlier qualifying round.
(Reporting by Patrick Johnston in Singapore, editing by Justin Palmer)
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