CHANGZHOU: Coach Felix Sanchez on Tuesday applauded the performance of his players as Qatar edged past Uzbekistan 1-0.     Tall striker Almoez Ali scored in the second half as Qatar posted a 1-0 win over Uzbekistan at the Changzhou Olympic Sports Center in their Group A match.     "It was always going to be a difficult game against Uzbekistan as we know they are tough opponents. I think the team did a very good job today and that they performed well in every department," Sanchez said after the match on Tuesday.     "I feel that one of the great strengths of this group of players is that they work very hard. They have a great spirit, I was very pleased to see that they executed our plans very well throughout the game, they did just as we had done in training. " Sanchez added at the post-match press conference.     Ravshan Khaydarov, the Uzbekistan head coach, said on Tuesday: "It was a very tough game for us today, and I feel that some of my players were not able to perform to their best ability."     Khaydarov added: "The result now leaves us in a rather difficult position in what is a very difficult group. We made too many mistakes and we must go away and see where and how we made those errors."     In the next match on January 12, Qatar face Oman while China take on Uzbekistan. On Tuesday, China eased past Oman 3-0 for a winning start to the 16-team event.