Host Qatar lost the opening game of the 2011 Asian Cup football tournament on Friday night, falling to Uzbekistan 2-0.
The loss in front of a capacity 40,000 crowd is a blow for the tiny Gulf state, which was awarded the right to host the 2022 World Cup in December.
Both goals came in the second half, with Odil Akhmedov putting the Uzbeks ahead after 58 minutes and Server Djeparov sealing the win with 13 minutes remaining.
Uzbekistan occupies 109th spot in FIFA's world rankings, five places above Qatar.
The other teams in Group A, China and Kuwait, meet on Saturday. China, 87th in the world, are the hosts' next opponents, while 102nd-ranked Kuwait await in the final group game.
The Asian Cup Final will be held on January 29.
MOSCOW, January 7 (RIA Novosti)
