India’s hopes to qualify for the knockout stages of the AFC Asian Cup 2023 suffered a significant blow after falling to Uzbekistan 3-0 in the group B fixture at the Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium on Thursday.
Uzbekistan made India look like a academy platoon in a 3- 0 forging in their AFC Asian Cup 2023 Group B game then at the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium on Thursday.
This was the first palm for the Central Asia side in this edition of the event and keeps it second in the standings and on the driving seat to qualify for the knockouts.
India, on the other hand, was left chasing murk in utmost corridor of the game, and lost deservedly, leaving its chances of progressing past the group stage to a phenomenon.
Playing against an extremely well- coordinated Srejko Katanec side, Igor Stimac’s men plodded to manage with the intensity and physicality of the Uzbeks.
The Uzbeks foisted their blows, coming near to scoring four times in the first 20 twinkles while chancing the net doubly.
India, playing in a conformation different from the opening game defeat to Australia, with three changes to the line- up. Anirudh Thapa, Akash Mishra and Mahesh Singh Naorem came in as Stimac switched to a 4-3-3 shape rather of 4-2-3-1. India looked vulnerable right from kick- off as Uzbeks rained hellfire, with shots one after the other.
Within five twinkles, they were 1- 0 over. Sherzod Nasrullaev’s cross from the left set up Otabek Shukurov, who headed it to Abbosbek Fayzullaev. The 22- time-old star of the Under- 20 AFC Asian Cup 2023, also painlessly headed it over Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and into the bottom-right corner.
Fourteen twinkles latterly, Igor Sergeev lapped with Fayzullaev, with the former scoring an transnational thing on foreign soil after three times.
Originally, a back- tracking Akash Mishra interdicted Fayzullaev’s cross from the left wing. But as the Mumbai City full- reverse’s failed concurrence glanced off the woodwork, Sergeev arrived to sound the death knell.
India tried to claw back into the game, producing two clear chances at the point of half- time. Naorem took a shot from outside the box while Sunil Chhetri tried a title from an Anirudh Thapa corner- kick.
But neither helped the cause, with the first one saved by Utkir Yusupov and the ultimate flying over the thing. nearly incontinently, Uzbekistan attacked against the run of play and put the contest to bed before the break.
Nasrullaev’s shot, after entering a pass from Farrukh Sayfiev, was originally denied by the post, but he set up the net on the follow- through.
India proceeded with fresh zeal in the alternate half, with Rahul Bheke nearly scoring in the 72nd nanosecond, with a title. But Yusupov’s revulsions got the better of him, with a fingertip drive over the thing. Know More Latest Football News…
