Misfiring Socceroos share the spoils with Japan

The host was kept at bay throughout the first half in Tashkent but it was a one-sided affair after the interval, Uzbekistan going ahead in the 50th minute through Marat Bikmaev after Eldor Shomurodov's cross-field pass.

China struggled to deal with the Uzbek onslaught and the home side wrapped things up with five minutes to go, as Otabek Shukurov's long-range effort took a hefty deflection and found the top corner.

The result left Gao with nowhere else to turn as China now finds itself eight points adrift from automatic qualification.

"I spoke with the heads of the Chinese Football Association before the match and we agreed if we couldn't reach a positive result against Uzbekistan I would stand down from my post," Gao said.

"As a result of this defeat, I bring an end to my time in charge of the China national team.

"I want to thank to all the fans and media which supported us during the games.

"I hope the China national team will be better in the future and we will meet in football again."

Gao wasn't the only manager to resign during the international break, with Algeria coach Milovan Rajevac resigning after just two games and less than four months in charge.

The Serbian took the reins of the 1990 African champion in June, beating Lesotho 6-0 and drawing 1-1 with Cameroon before quitting on Wednesday (AEDT).

Alongside Qatar and a host of club sides, Rajevac managed Ghana for two years, reaching the quarter-finals of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.