Uzbekistan, Japan qualify for men’s Olympic soccer

Author: AP

Uzbekistan qualified for men’s Olympic soccer after years of near-misses by reaching the Under-23 Asian Cup final.

The Uzbeks beat Indonesia 2-0 in the semifinals on Monday in Doha, Qatar, and will face Japan for the title on Friday.

Japan secured an eighth consecutive Olympic appearance with a 2-0 win over Iraq.

The top three teams qualify automatically for the Paris Games, and Iraq and Indonesia will meet in Thursday´s playoff to decide the remaining place.

Uzbekistan has had an unlucky run. It won the biennial Asian tournament in the non-Olympic years of 2018 and 2022. In 2020, the team finished fourth, missing out on the Tokyo Games after losing the playoff against Australia.

There was no heartbreak this time. After Indonesia found the back of the net but had a goal disallowed for offside, Khusain Norchaev scored midway through the second half to give Uzbekistan the lead.

Indonesia’s hopes of an equalizer were set back when Rizky Ridho was sent off in the 84th, leaving his team with 10 men. Uzbekistan doubled the margin four minutes from time when Pratama Arhan conceded an own goal.

Share
Leave a Comment

Recent Posts

  • Business

Chinese textile company secures 100 acres of land for export-oriented SEZ

Challenge Fashion (Pvt) Ltd, a Chinese textile company, has acquired 100 acres of land in…

2 hours ago
  • Business

Rupee loses 9 paisa against dollar

Pakistani Rupee on Monday lost 09 paisa against US dollar in the interbank trading and…

2 hours ago
  • Business

Gold rates up by Rs 2,300 per tola to Rs 250,400

The per tola price of 24 karat gold increased by Rs 2,300 and was sold…

2 hours ago
  • Business

Gwadar women garment factory goes full steam ahead

The Gwadar Women Garment Factory, also known as the Gwadar Women’s Development Employment Center, has…

2 hours ago
  • Business

PSX witnesses bearish trend, loses 258 points

The 100-Index of the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) witnessed bearish trend on Monday, losing 258.34…

2 hours ago
  • Business

Economic revival top priority of PML-N govt: Rana Tanveer

Federal Minister of Industries and Production Rana Tanveer Hussain said on Monday that economic revival…

2 hours ago