Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Goa: Tournament debutants Kyrgyzstan pulled off the first shock of the AFC U-16 Championship India 2016 as Adilet Kanybekov’s 75th-minute penalty secured a 1-0 upset win over powerhouse Australia in the Group B opener at GMC Stadium on Friday.
An even first half created little in the way of chances until just before the interval when Kyrgyzstan ‘keeper Elgard Sychev denied Louis D’Arrigo in stunning fashion.
The save proved vital as the Central Asians held off a renewed onslaught from the young Joeys in the second half before Kanybekov’s contribution with fifteen minutes to play ensured a historic moment for Kyrgyzstan football.
Kyrgyzstan began the match in positive fashion, constantly looking to take the game to the 2016 AFF U-16 Champions.
Composure in front of goal was lacking though, particularly from forward Aziret Momoshev, and Australia began to settle into the tie which soon became a tightly contested affair with the two sides struggling to create clear-cut opportunities.
It took until the 38th minute for Kyrgyzstan to have their first effort on target as Momoshev burst upfield on the counter before teeing up Gulzhigit Alykulov whose shot was straight at Joeys’ goalkeeper Nicholas Suman.
At the other end, Rahmat Akbari went close to creating the breakthrough with a flicked pass that saw Bryce Bafford through on goal only to see Sychev rush out of his goal to smother at the feet of the striker.
Sychev performed further heroics on the stroke of halftime as he somehow kept out D’Arrigo’s goal-bound effort from close range with an incredible reaction block to keep the tie goalless at the break.
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