TASHKENT, Sept 10 (Reuters) - Australia bagged an early goal

then soaked up over an hour of pressure to earn a 1-0 win over

Uzbekistan on Wednesday in Asian World Cup qualifying.

The Socceroos went ahead through Scott Chipperfield after 25

entertaining minutes, then fended off a string of dangerous

Uzbek attacks which yielded nothing but frustrated groans from

the capacity crowd in Tashkent.

The win moved Australia into third in Group Two behind

Qatar, who take on Bahrain later on Wednesday and Japan.

Uzbekistan dominated the match but their midfield

industriousness was wasted after a string of disappointing

crosses and poor set pieces.

Australia got their break against the run of play when Luke

Wilkshire skipped over a tackle on the right from Islom Innomov

to find the unmarked Chipperfield, who headed into the top left

corner.

Uzbekistan heaped on the pressure and could have levelled

three minutes before the break when Ulugbek Bakaev had his

header blocked and fired the loose ball over the bar.

Australia should have put the game beyond the hosts in first

half injury time when Mark Bresciano blasted wide a clumsy shot

from 20 metres with only the keeper to beat.

Chasing a place at their first World Cup finals, Uzbekistan

had more than a handful of second-half chances but were denied

by desperate goal-line clearances and their misfiring marksman

Maksim Shatskikh.

Uzbekistan, the best performing side in the earlier two

rounds, are rooted to the bottom of Group Two with two defeats

from their opening two matches in round four.