Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Duabi: Uzbekistan continued their run of fine recent form thanks to a 2-1 defeat of fellow AFC Asian Cup hopefuls Jordan on Sunday.
The win was Uzbekistan's fifth win in their last seven outings, a statistic which is in stark contrast to Jordan’s current form, with Ray Wilkins’ charges still looking for a first victory since March.
Nevertheless, it was Jordan who claimed the lead, forward Odai Al Saify opening the scoring on 15 minutes.
Uzbekistan duly levelled matters before break when Sardor Rashidov converted a penalty, before Navruz Alimov found the back of the net in the second half to secure the victory for his side and continue Uzbekistan's momentum as they build for the AFC Asian Cup.
Mirjalol Kasimov’s men next face 2007 AFC Asian Cup winners Iraq in back-to-back matches on December 25 and 28. After finishing fourth at the 2011 AFC Asian Cup Uzbekistan will be confident of topping a group that features China, Saudi Arabia and DPR Korea at January's tournament.
Jordan will next face the UAE on December 30th before finalising their preparations for the AFC Asian Cup against Bahrain on January 4. They will then look to qualify from a tough AFC Asian Cup group where they face defending champions Japan along with Iraq and tournament debutants Palestine.
Photo: AFP