Preview - Group D: Saudi Arabia v Kyrgyz Republic

Fri, 03 Mar, 2023

Preview - Group D: Saudi Arabia v Kyrgyz Republic

Tashkent: Saudi Arabia head coach Saleh Al Mohammedi bemoaned an injury crisis that has left the defending champions reeling ahead of their AFC U20 Asian Cup™ Uzbekistan 2023 opener against Kyrgyz Republic on Friday.

The Green Falcons’s class of 2018 had lifted the trophy in Indonesia five years ago, with players such as Saud Abdulhamid and Hassan Tambakti going on to become key cogs for the Saudi national team, impressing in their famous win against Argentina at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, Al Mohammedi is hopeful Uzbekistan 2023 gives his side the opportunity to produce a similar level of talent into the first team.

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Preview - Group D: Japan v China PR

Fri, 03 Mar, 2023

Preview - Group D: Japan v China PR

Tashkent: Japan head coach Koichi Togashi is confident his squad has the talent to overcome a lack of preparation to make a major impact at the AFC U20 Asian Cup™ Uzbekistan 2023 as the former champions prepare to kick off their Group D campaign against China PR on Friday.

The Japanese are chasing a second title having previously won the AFC U19 Championship in Bahrain in 2016 and, although Togashi was unable to gather his squad together for a pre-tournament training camp, he believes he has the players within his line-up to succeed.

Khaydarov: Uzbekistan can still improve despite Syria triumph

Thu, 02 Mar, 2023

Khaydarov: Uzbekistan can still improve despite Syria triumph

Tashkent: Uzbekistan head coach Ravshan Khaydarov believes his side have more to offer despite marching to an emphatic 2-0 victory over Syria in their first match of the AFC U20 Asian Cup™ Uzbekistan 2023 on Wednesday.

Getting their home campaign underway, Uzbekistan bagged a goal in each half, opening the scoring with a magnificent Abbosbek Fayzullaev free-kick from an angle in the 37th minute. The attacker’s delivery from the corner in the second half was inadvertently sent into the net by Syria’s Zakaria Al Ramadan to confirm Uzbekistan’s triumph.
 
A loud crowd at Bunyodkor Stadium enjoyed an exciting opening ceremony before propelling their side to a comfortable victory.

Loss to Iraq perplexes Indonesia's Shin

Thu, 02 Mar, 2023

Loss to Iraq perplexes Indonesia's Shin

Tashkent: Indonesia head coach Shin Tae-yong was left to rue his players’ inability to turn their one-man advantage into a positive result after seeing his side slip to a 2-0 loss in their Group A opener at the AFC U20 Asian Cup™ Uzbekistan 2023 on Wednesday.

Charbel Shamoon’s sending off in first half added time meant Indonesia played with a man advantage for the duration of the second half but the Garuda Muda were unable to overturn a lead given to the Iraqis by Hayder Abdulkareem in the 28th minute.
 
Having performed well in the opening 45 minutes, Shin’s side struggled despite having one player more and Iraq created several chances, with captain Abdulrazzaq Qassim missing a penalty before Mohammed Jameel scored a late second for Emad Mohammed’s side.

Torabi: Teamwork helped IR Iran defeat Qatar

Thu, 02 Mar, 2023

Torabi: Teamwork helped IR Iran defeat Qatar

Fergana: Mohammadreza Torabi credited team spirit for Islamic Republic of Iran’s 1-0 victory over Qatar in Group B of the AFC U20 Asian Cup™ Uzbekistan 2023 on Wednesday.

Mohammad Hazbavi scored the only goal of the game from the penalty spot as Iran took a huge step towards reaching the quarter-finals.

Khuat urges Vietnam to stay focused, Morgan rues Australia's missed opportunity

Thu, 02 Mar, 2023

Khuat urges Vietnam to stay focused, Morgan rues Australia's missed opportunity

Fergana: Captain Khuat Van Khang believes there’s still  plenty of work to be done despite Vietnam's 1-0 win against Australia in their opening AFC U20 Asian Cup™ Uzbekistan 2023 Group B fixture on Wednesday.

After a nervous start, Vietnam got into the groove with Khuat playing a pivotal role in the only goal of the game as the Southeast Asian side got an early boost in their bid to advance to the quarter-finals.