Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Riffa: Ehsoni Panshanbe’s brilliant free kick helped Tajikistan claw their way back into AFC U-19 Championship Bahrain 2016 contention with a 2-0 win against China PR on Tuesday.
The FC Istiklol midfielder struck early at Bahrain National Stadium to put Tajikistan in the driving seat, before they added a second through Nuriddin Haroqulov in the second half.
The team’s elaborate free kick routine in only the 4th minute seemed to work a treat, as four Tajikistan players lined up in a row behind the ball just outside the box.
As the first two players ran over the ball, Panshanbe struck a laser-guided free kick up and over the Chinese wall and into the top left corner of goal, giving goalkeeper Shi Xiaodong no chance at all.
China tried to respond with an imaginative set piece of their own in the 22nd minute but were much less successful, with two players – Zhang Yuan and Cao Yongjing – standing over the ball and facing the wrong direction.
Two other players feinted towards the ball before Zhang laid it off for Cao to swivel and shoot but his low, hard shot was straight at Behruz Khayriev in goal.
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