Ivan Boskovic struck the crucial goal two minutes into the second period of the quarter-final first-leg game at Chinburi Stadium before both sides were reduced to 10 men when Erkin Baydullaev and Suttinun Phukhom were shown second yellow cards.

Just a draw at home in Uzbekistan in two weeks' time will seal Nasaf's passage into the last four but while hailing his side's performance in Thailand, Demianenko is still keen to guard against any complacency.

"We studied every game that Chonburi played in the AFC Cup this year and I think our tactics worked really well," he said.

"Yes we have home ground advantage for the next match but that does not mean we are guaranteed a victory. We need to go back and study the tapes and do our homework."

For his part, defiant Chonburi coach Withaya Laohakul vowed his side will battle until the very end.

"I am not giving up yet. We still have a 50-50 chance, just like they do," he said.

"If they can score here, why can't we do it there? The goal we conceded was a defender's mistake and we were punished for that. At this level, you can't make easy mistakes."

Indeed the Chonburi boss felt nerves played a part on his side's defeat.

"It was a good game and our players learned a lot. My players need to know if they are going to be world-class players at the professional level, they should not be nervous," Withaya added.

"And yet today, nerves got the better of some of our team."

The Sharks' coach also admitted his initial strategy did not work, causing him to make an early switch and bring on Ney Fabiano for winger Arthit Sunthornphit after 33 minutes.

"In the first half we could not play our game on the wings, which is our strength," said he said.

"They closed us down and that's why we had a poor attacking game today."