Al Diabat hails Jordan's winning mentality

Fri, 03 Mar, 2023

Al Diabat hails Jordan's winning mentality

Tashkent: Jordan head coach Islam Al Diabat hailed his players’ “special emotion” after overcoming Baker Kamal Kalbouneh’s sending off inside the first minute to hand Tajikistan a 2-0 defeat in their opening game of Group C at the AFC U20 Asian Cup™ Uzbekistan 2023 on Thursday.

Ali Ahmad Azaizeh and Sief Addeen Darwish scored for the Jordanians after Kalbouneh had seen red with barely 10 seconds on the clock for a head-high challenge on Tajikistan’s Mehrubon Kamolov to earn the West Asians victory at Lokomotiv Stadium.

www.the-afc.com/en/national/afc_u20_asian_cup/video/afcu20_-_group_c_|_tajikistan_tjk_0-2_jordan_jor.html

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Korea Republic to remain focused after big victory, says Kim

Fri, 03 Mar, 2023

Korea Republic to remain focused after big victory, says Kim

Tashkent: Korea Republic head coach Kim Eun-jung urged his players to remain focused on the task at hand following their impressive 4-0 Matchday One victory over Oman in Group C of the AFC U20 Asian Cup™ Uzbekistan 2023 on Thursday.

Kim’s high press regime produced impeccable results for the young Taeguk Warriors who went into the halftime break with a 2-0 lead after two interceptions inside Oman’s half produced goals by Kim Yong-hak and Sung Jin-young.
 
Sung doubled his own tally just after the restart and substitute Kang Seong-jin completed the win in added time of a match that saw little Omani threat to the Korean defence.
 
And while the scoreline shows a big margin, the Koreans didn’t really get going until half an hour into the game, and coach Kim suggested a mental aspect was behind the slow start.

Upbeat Fayzullaev eager to continue thrilling Uzbekistan fans

Thu, 02 Mar, 2023

Upbeat Fayzullaev eager to continue thrilling Uzbekistan fans

Tashkent: As hosts Uzbekistan started their AFC U20 Asian Cup™ 2023 campaign with a decisive 2-0 win over Syria on Wednesday, the 32,000-strong crowd at Tashkent’s Bunyodkor Stadium had eyes for only 19-year-old Abbosbek Fayzullaev. 

Fayzullaev, who has already cemented his position in the Uzbek football ecosystem, gave his side the lead in the first half, tucking the ball into the far top corner of the net from a free-kick coming in from the left flank. His set-piece in the second half then led to Syria scoring an unlucky own goal.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.