Uzbekistan U-23 football team reaches Asian Games semifinals

The Uzbekistan U-23 football team has reached the semifinals of the Asian Games, defeating the Saudi Arabia team 3:0 in the quarterfinals.

The 1/4 final match was held on September 25 in Nagoya, Japan. The team led by Ravshan Khaydarov opened the score in the 12th minute: after a free kick by Sardor Bakhrimov and a save by the goalkeeper, defender Dilshod Murtazoyev was the first to score. The advantage of the Uzbekistan team was consolidated at the end of the meeting. On the 78th minute (according to Gazeta.uz - on the 79th), Azizbek Tulkunbekov scored, closing the attack after Ruziboy Fayzullayev's pass. The final point was set on the 86th minute by Firdavs Abdurakhmonov, who headed the ball into the goal.

According to the match statistics, Uzbekistan conceded to the opponent in terms of ball possession (41% vs 59%), but significantly outperformed Saudi Arabia in terms of shots - 19 attempts vs 6, of which 10 were on target (vs 1 for the opponent). The teams showed equal results in terms of corners (4:4). The Saudi football players received three yellow cards, while the Uzbekistan team played the match without warnings.

The victory in the quarterfinals was the fourth in a row for Ravshan Khaydarov's team at the current Games. Earlier, at the group stage, the team defeated the Philippines (5:1), Kuwait (2:0), and Vietnam (2:0), taking first place with nine points and a total goal difference of 9:1. In the semifinals, the Uzbekistan team will face the winner of the match between Japan and the DPRK.