Uzbekistan kick off AFC Women's Olympics Qualifiers Round 2 with a 2-1 defeat to Vietnam

Group favourites Vietnam survived a major scare from in-form Uzbekistan to eventually take three points, and a significant step towards the last eight with a 2-1 win at the Lokomotiv Stadium.

Mai Duc Chung's side were in front in less than 10 minutes, but the hosts hit back almost immediately in a fiercely contested encounter which was ultimately decided by Nguyen Thi Tuyet Dung's 57th minute penalty kick.

Regular qualifiers in Asia's top level women's national team competitions, Vietnam wasted little time in putting their stamp on the game as diminutive striker Huynh Nhu scored to give them an early lead in the eighth minute.

But Uzbekistan have been gathering impressive results in recent months, and they showed they'd be no pushovers here, as defender Ugiloy Kuchkarova popped up to supply the equaliser just three minutes later.

Playing in their first competitive fixture in over six months, Vietnam had a battle on their hands, but it was Tuyet Dung who struck the decisive blow, as the reigning Vietnamese Golden Ball winner converted a spot-kick to seal three crucial points for the Southeast Asians in the 57th minute.