The U20 Asian Cup saw a grand finale against Japan Men's Soccer Team and South Korea Men's Soccer Team, becoming hosts Uzbekistan Men's Soccer Team and Iraq Men's Soccer Team, who met for the first time in the final. In the end, Uzbekistan beat Iraq 1-0 on a penalty kick by Rakhmonaliyev to win the trophy, marking the first time in the team's history that they have won the title and a historic moment.
The tournament drew a lot of attention from fans due to the participation of the Chinese men's U20 soccer team. The team defeated defending champions Saudi Arabia in the group stage to return to the AYC Top 8 after 9 years. Unfortunately for South Korea, they were eliminated in the last 8 and went home early with no chance to return to the World Youth Championship after 18 years.
At the semi-final stage, Iraq and Uzbekistan were not optimistic and finished cold while eliminating Japan and South Korea on penalties, with Iraq returning to the final after 11 years, losing to South Korea on penalties for the last time, and Uzbekistan reaching the final after 15 years, losing to the UAE for the last time.
In contrast to the Top 8 and Top 4, Uzbekistan did not play another penalty shootout in the final. In the second half, the heart of the attack, Fayzullaev, began to shine, bringing the ball into the box in succession to create a threat.
In the 72nd minute, Fayzullaev was tripped and the referee took a penalty kick and Rakhmonaliyev hit the final to help Uzbekistan win the final 1-0.
After the game, the Iraqi players sat on the pitch very lost and the goalkeeper hid his face and cried. Uzbekistan players celebrated wildly and interacted with the fans on the field. They were very happy. Of course, there were also players who were so excited that they cried because they had created a new history for the Uzbek men's soccer team.
The first U20 Asian Cup began in 1959, and Uzbekistan ended a 64-year wait to finally win the trophy for the first time, officially claiming the new title and making up for losing the 2008 final to the UAE.
Last year Uzbekistan hosted the U23 Asian Cup and ended up as runners-up, and now hosting the U20 Asian Cup champions, the two national youth teams are performing at a top level in Asia, and could seamlessly connect the national teams to help Uzbekistan's men's soccer team improve its overall strength, and in the coming years the national team could rival South Korea, Japan, and Iran, while leaving China's men's soccer team with a basic lock on a 2026 Asian spot in the 2026 World Cup.
