AMMAN, Sept 7: Uzbekistan came from a goal down to earn a valuable 1-1 draw against Jordan in the first-leg of their 2014 World Cup Asian playoff on Friday.

Jordan opened the scoring in the 29th minute when Ahmad Hayel exploited some poor Uzbek defending to pick out Mus’ab Allahham in the penalty area, with Allahham’s shot giving goalkeeper Murotjon Zukhurov no chance.

Uzbekistan responded with an equaliser just five minutes later with a long shot by captain Server Djeparov.

Tuesday’s second-leg at Pakhtakor Stadium in Tashkent will decide which team reaches the intercontinental playoff against South America’s fifth-place qualifier.

Both teams picked up the pace in the second-half at King Abdullah II International Stadium, with Jordan coming closest to scoring with a series of shots in the final minutes.—AP