Uzbekistan National Team Defeats Philippines in First Asian Games Match

The national football team of Uzbekistan has scheduled a friendly match against the Syrian team. This meeting is set for October 1 and will take place in the city of Tashkent.

The game will be held during the international window established by FIFA. This match is one of the autumn friendly games that the team, under the guidance of Fabio Cannavaro, will play before participating in upcoming official competitions.

The national teams of Uzbekistan and Syria have experience playing against each other. Their last game took place on January 13, 2024, during the Asian Cup group stage held in Qatar. In that match, neither team was able to score against the other, and the game ended with a score of 0:0.

It was previously announced that during the autumn, the Uzbekistan national team will play a series of friendly matches. Among the potential opponents, Fabio Cannavaro's team had previously mentioned Iran, Argentina, and South Korea.

A press conference was held in Tashkent at the Museum of Olympic and Paralympic Glory regarding the upcoming participation of the delegation of Uzbekistan in the Asian and Para Asian Games to be held in Aichi-Nagoya in 2026. The Uzbek team plans to participate in 42 sports events at the Asian Games and in 11 disciplines at the Para Asian Games, including several debut categories.

The event gathered Deputy Minister of Sport Shahrullo Mahmudov, Deputy Chairman of the National Paralympic Committee Hikmat Toshmatov, Paralympic champion of Paris-2024 in para athletics Yorkinkbek Odilov, as well as representatives from the media and the sports community.

At the Asian Games, Uzbek athletes will represent 42 sports, 36 of which are part of the Olympic program. For the first time, representatives of Uzbekistan will participate in disciplines such as beach volleyball, volleyball, sailing, squash, and MMA.

Shahrullo Mahmudov commented on issues related to Japan's hot and humid climate, stating that the weather conditions will not be an obstacle for the republic's athletes. He emphasized that the conditions are the same for all participants, and all necessary opportunities for adaptation are provided for the athletes.

Speaking about the potential for winning medals, the deputy minister noted that thanks to state support, the chances of athletes are equal in all categories of disciplines. Furthermore, he explained the decision to send only the women's team to the handball tournament because it has higher chances of successful performance compared to the men's team.

Hikmat Toshmatov provided information on the preparation for the Para Asian Games. At the competitions in Aichi-Nagoya, Uzbek para-athletes will participate in 11 sports, three of which are new to the country: para fencing, para archery, and boccia.

Uzbekistan has successfully completed its campaign for the Asian U-20 Cup 2027 in China, securing a 3-0 victory over Syria in the final match of Group B. Thanks to this game, the team achieved a perfect record in the qualifiers.

The Uzbek national team won all three matches, scoring nine goals and conceding none. In the first match, Uzbekistan took the lead in the tenth minute following a cross by Kuvonchbek Abraev, when Dyer Ermanov won the aerial ball from Ahmad Khalaf and directed it into the upper left corner of the goal.

Syria nearly conceded a second goal in the thirty-fourth minute due to an error by goalkeeper Hadi Ismail, but Ulugbek Maratov could not capitalize on the chance. Uzbekistan continued to dominate the game until halftime but failed to increase their advantage.

In the second half, the Uzbeks returned to the field with an emphasis on attack. In the seventy-sixth minute, Abraev had a chance after advancing down the left flank, but he held up the shot and missed the opportunity. Five minutes later, the midfielder corrected himself: Abraev bypassed Amer Ammar and struck a precise long-range shot between the approaching Ismail and the left post.

Uzbekistan scored its third goal in stoppage time. In the fifth minute of added time, Joseph Dalal touched the ball inside his penalty area, leading to a penalty kick. Davron Tulaganov confidently converted the penalty.

This victory over Syria was Uzbekistan's third in the qualifiers. The team finished with nine points, scoring nine goals and keeping a clean sheet in all three games. Thus, Uzbekistan qualified for the final tournament of the Asian U-20 Cup for the third consecutive time.

In another Group B match, India defeated Bangladesh 3-0, remaining three points behind Uzbekistan. India approached a possible return to the final stage of the tournament for the first time since 2006.

India opened the scoring in the twenty-fifth minute. Danny Laishram received a pass from Hattim Faruk Ali and, in a one-on-one situation with Raj Choudhury, shot a low ball between the legs of the approaching goalkeeper.

After the break, India continued to control the match. In the sixty-sixth minute, Vishal Yadav scored with a header, sending the ball into the left corner. The final score was set in the seventy-ninth minute when Safiul Hossain capitalized on a poor clearance by Bangladesh captain Abdul Rihad Fahim and struck a powerful shot that hit the net under the crossbar.

Thus, Uzbekistan concluded its Group B qualification campaign with three wins out of three matches, scoring nine goals and allowing no goals from their opponents.