Japan’s second straight loss in World Cup qualifiers was greeted with dismay on Thursday and growing doubts over coach Alberto Zaccheroni’s future with the misfiring Asian champions.

“Zac at his worst,” a headline in the Nikkan Sports daily cried the morning after the Blue Samurai were cut down by a second-string Uzbekistan side 1-0 at home.

It was the first time Japan had lost a home World Cup qualifier since 1997, when they were beaten 2-1 by rivals South Korea.

“Dark clouds are beginning to hang over Japan’s road ahead,” the major daily newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun commented. “Only six shots. The figure tells all about the team’s malfunction.”

Japan finished second in Group C, six points behind Uzbekistan.

They still get through to the last qualifying stages for Brazil 2014, but coming runner-up means they could be thrown in with Australia or other top group finishers in the next round, which is due to begin on June 3.

Zaccheroni took over at the helm in late 2010 and got off to a flying start, guiding his team to a 1-0 friendly defeat of Argentina. The Italian then led Japan to the Asian crown last year.

Wednesday’s embarrassing loss to a severely weakened Uzbekistan was Japan’s second on the bounce in qualifying after November’s defeat by the same scoreline to North Korea before a hostile away crowd.

“Now Japan have no choice but to set aside the title of Asian champions and restart their challenge from square one,” football critic Sergio Echigo wrote in the Nikkan Sports.

Former AC Milan boss Zaccheroni saw his reputation skyrocket in January last year when Japan, led by CSKA Moscow playmaker Keisuke Honda and Borussia Dortmund goal machine Shinji Kagawa, won a record fourth Asian Cup.

But Echigo said it was now time for the Japan Football Association to “seriously consider if he is competent (enough) to ride out this slump and continue guiding the team”.