Eldor Shomurodov, the scourge of Andersen’s side when Uzbekistan won at Mong Kok Stadium last Thursday, opened the scoring after 20 minutes.

The visitors remained within touching distance of Uzbekistan, without ever threatening to draw level, until the 63rd minute, when substitute Khozimat Erkinov struck into the corner from 22 yards.

Erkinov had replaced outstanding 20-year-old forward Abbosbek Fayzullaev, player of the tournament when Uzbekistan won the Under-20 Asian Cup 12 months ago, who left the field in some discomfort 12 minutes after the break.

The home team lost Shomurodov to an ankle injury at half-time, too, but his replacement, Oston Urunov, scored after 70 minutes to put clear daylight between the teams.

A key tenet of the Hong Kong Football Association’s Vision 2025 plan for improving football in the city, is the mission to qualify for the 2034 World Cup.

The target looked like pie in the sky when it was set in 2020, and the size of that task has been underlined in a campaign for 2026 that remained alive for all of five months.

Hong Kong not in World Cup qualifiers to make up the numbers, says Andersen

This outcome is not a surprise, of course. Hong Kong, for all they have been transformed under head coach Andersen, are positioned 154 in the global Fifa standings, 88 places beneath Uzbekistan, and 134 behind the excellent Iranians.

Hong Kong gave Iran a scare at the Asian Cup finals only two months ago. But that night in Al Rayyan felt like a distant memory, as Hong Kong struggled to lay a glove on Uzbekistan.

Andersen has talked until he is blue in the face about a Hong Kong Premier League that is light years away from the standard of international football. And his fears over players’ fitness levels diminishing back at their clubs following the Asian tournament were well founded.

Hong Kong quickly looked leggy, and incapable of retaining possession. Repeatedly, balls from defence were hurriedly struck into no man’s land, or obligingly returned to the opposition.

Shomurodov’s strike came after Tan Chun-lok uncharacteristically allowed himself to be mugged in midfield. Li Ngai-hoi rushed from defence to try to retrieve the situation, but recklessly sold himself, allowing Uzbekistan to sweep down the right.

Fayzullaev delivered along the floor, and Shomurodov jabbed out a leg to guide his finish inside the near post.

Oliver Gerbig’s fabulous last-man tackle prevented Shomorudov scoring again, after Jaloliddin Masharipov’s low, straight pass from midfield released the striker, before Fayzullaev skipped inside Wu Chun-ming to send a swerving, dipping shot fractionally too high to disturb Yapp Hung-fai.

The usually imperturbable Yapp was furious with his defenders for allowing Fayzullaev to take aim late in the opening half, but the goalkeeper made a comfortable save.

Coach plots World Cup upset as Hong Kong FA stays silent over contract talks

Yapp, 34, was excellent again, after a fabulous performance in the home match five days ago. He reacted well to divert behind a misdirected cross early in the second half, and soon saved with his legs, after Urunov dodged Wu and Gerbig to shoot.

There was another fine stop after Urunov streaked clear of Li, but, by then, the game was up for Hong Kong.

Andersen sent on forward Matt Orr for midfielder Philip Chan Siu-Kwan to try to change the tide of the game, but, within 60 seconds, Erkinov drifted in from the right to pick his spot in the far corner.

After 70 minutes, Urunov skipped onto Odildzhon Khamrobekov’s through ball to slot beyond Yapp, who was winning his 92nd cap, and on the evidence of the past week is a shoo-in to reach his century.

Azizbek Turgunboev arrowed a strike against the post late on, and Hong Kong substitute Tsui Wang-kit was, perhaps, fortunate to receive only a yellow card for a challenge that left a raging Farrukh Safiev with a gash running the length of his shin.