Tshering Dorji's 84th minute goal broke the deadlock to give the minnows a narrow advantage ahead of the second leg on Tuesday (March 17).

The team ranked 209th in the world only had three previous wins to their name and suffered a 5-2 defeat at the hands of the same opposition in their last outing at the 2013 South Asian Football Championships in Kathmandu.

There was also first ever qualifying wins for Brunei, who after 12 failed attempts managed to beat Taiwan 1-0 by virtue of Adi Said's 36th minute goal, and East Timor, who beat Mongolia 4-1 in Dili.

Two second-half goals from India's leading international scorer Sunil Chhetri put his country into a commanding 2-0 lead ahead of the return leg against Nepal, while Cambodia defeated Macau 3-0 in Phnom Penh.

In the other game played, Yemen overcame Pakistan 3-1 thanks to goals from Abdulwasea Al Matari, Mohammed Boqshan and Ala Al Sasi in Doha. 

Tshering Dorji scored the decisive goal to give Bhutan a 1-0 lead ahead of the second leg ©Getty Images



The 12 nations are vying to join the Asian Football Confederation's remaining 34 teams in the second round, which begins in June and consists of eight groups of five teams competing in a round-robin format.

The eight group winners and four best runners-up will progress to the final round of qualifying, split into two groups of six, and also secure an automatic place at the 2019 AFC Asian Cup as part of a new qualifying format.

The AFC has yet to find out from FIFA how many places it has been granted at the World Cup, although it is expected there will be four with one other team advancing to an intercontinental play-off.

Meanwhile, Zimbabwe's World Cup journey is over before it started after FIFA expelled the nation from the competition for failing to pay former coach José Claudinei Georgini, who managed the national team from January to November 2008. 

FIFA's Disciplinary Committee took the action "as a result of the non-payment of an outstanding debt" by Zimbabwe's Football Federation (ZIFA). 

It is believed that the Brazilian is owed $67,000 (£45,100/€63,200) in salary from his time as coach.

ZIFA intend to appeal the ruling but will have to move quickly with the draw for the African zone qualifiers set to take place in July.

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