An enthusiastic crowd of 12,078 braved some wildly wet weather at the Sydney Olympic Stadium to watch Uzbekistan overcome a defiant North Korea 1-0 in the opening game of Group B in the 2015 AFC Asian Cup. Here are three talking points from the match.
1. Uzbekistan with a point to prove
After cruising through the group and early knockout stages of the 2011 Asian Cup, Uzbekistan title dreams were ground into the Doha dirt by a rampant Australian side -- losing 6-0 in the semifinal.
Four years later and this side would be looking to put some of those demons to rest.
Forever the dark horses in AFC competitions, there is a sense in the Uzbek camp that the 2015 tournament is there for the taking, given that all the heavyweights have been in questionable form.
So in a match that they were expected to win, Uzbekistan were cautious early, looking to dominate possession against a North Korean side happy to sit back and try to attack on the counter. It was crucial not to be surprised early.
Indeed, the only real moment of note in the first half for either side was when Timur Kapadze's 17th-minute header nearly put the Central Asians in front. North Korean keeper Ri Myong-guk could only watch as the ball was deflected past him onto the right upright.
However, it was a different story after half-time. The football gods intervened with a downpour of biblical proportions. Suddenly the ball was zipping round the pitch. It provided a pace which suited the Uzbekis, who began to exploit the space that was opening up.
The White Wolves suddenly had a killer instinct about them. They had speed and movement that hinted that Mirjalol Qosimov's men are keen to go at least one step better this tournament than last time round.
2. Djeparov a class above
Running the show for the Uzbekis was 32-year-old Server Djeparov. This was a match in which the men in white had over 60 percent possession and more than four times as many shots on goal than the North Koreans. Djeparov -- who won Asian footballer of the year in 2008 and 2011-- was at the heart of every move, conducting the ball as it skidded around the drenched Olympic Stadium turf.
So often the ace up Uzbekistan's sleeve, it was Djeparov who scored in the opening game of the 2011 Asian Cup when they defeated host nation Qatar 2-0. So, naturally, it was Djeparov's delightfully weighted cross to striker Igor Sergeev that broke the deadlock in the second half.
In a match that quite possibly could have descended into a stalemate after half-time, the class of the Seongnam FC star shone through. Time and again, he settled the Uzbeks play before launching another wave of attack.
3. Where to now for North Korea?
If Djeparov's class was the difference for Uzbekistan, then the Chollima 's problem was not being able to get star man Jong Il-Gwan on the ball enough.
The 22-year-old Rimyongsu striker consistently dropped deep to help out the right flank of defence, leaving Pak Kwang-ryong to toil fruitlessly alone up front.
The few times the North Koreans looked threatening, it was when Jong was able to find space. A long shot here, a slide-rule pass there. It wasn't enough for the North Koreans who, aside from the very last play of the match, never really threatened Uzbekistan's goal.
A shift into a more central role for Jong must surely be on the cards for what is now a do-or-die match for North Korea against Saudi Arabia in Melbourne on Jan. 14.