Igor Sergeev’s second-half header gave Uzbekistan a 1-0 win over North Korea as the 2011 semi-finalists shrugged off heavy rain to win their Asian Cup opener on Saturday.

An unseasonal downpour left shirts sodden and puddles on the pitch but Sergeev’s winner on 62 minutes took the superior Uzbeks past a dogged but uninspiring North Korean side.

Two-time Asian player of the year Server Djeparov set up the goal as Uzbekistan showed they could be ready for another assault on the Asian Cup’s latter stages.

In a tepid first half, Timur Kapadze recovered from a nasty clash of heads while defending a corner before coming close at the other end minutes later.

The big midfielder saw his header come off the upright and into the grateful arms of North Korea’s Ri Myong-Guk, who later had to be alert to keep out Sanjar Tursunov.

North Korean striker Pak Song-Chol nodded his team’s best chance of the first period wide, and team-mate Jon Kwang-Ik was grateful to see his clearance go over the bar.

Steady rain turned torrential during half-time but it didn’t stop Uzbekistan from raising the tempo as Kapadze, Vitaliy Denisov and Djeparov all had sight of goal.

And it was captain Djeparov who created Uzbekistan’s opener, lofting a cross for Sergeev to leap and nod past the stranded Ri in the North Korean goal.

Sergeev could have added a second from substitute Sardor Rashidov’s cross, and Tursunov drew a point-blank save from Ri as the Uzbeks pressed until the final whistle.

North Korea nearly equalised right at the death but Pak’s powerful header from a corner was palmed away by Uzbek ‘keeper Ignatiy Nesterov.

The result sets back North Korea’s hopes of progressing from the group stage for the first time since 1980, when they finished fourth.

But Uzbekistan will have high hopes of reaching the knock-outs for the fourth time in a row, with further Group B games to come against China and Saudi Arabia.