In the hotly contested U20 Asian Cup final, hosts Uzbekistan and Iraq faced off in a summit clash as the two sides met for the first time in a historic moment. After a thrilling battle, Uzbekistan narrowly defeated Iraq 1-0 on a penalty kick by Rakhmonaliyev to win the trophy. It was the first time in the history of the Uzbekistan team to win the title, which is very significant.
It is worth mentioning that the participation of the Chinese men's U20 soccer team made the tournament highly anticipated. In the group stage, they managed to beat the defending champions Saudi Arabia, returning to the top 8 of the Asian Youth Championship after 9 years. However, South Korea regretted their exit in the last 8 and failed to return to the World Youth Championship after 18 years. In the semi-finals, Iraq and Uzbekistan faced challenges but eventually made a historic breakthrough by eliminating Japan and South Korea on penalties.
Uzbekistan did not have to go through another penalty shootout in the final, and the center of the attack, Fayzullaev, was valiant in the second half, creating continuous threats. In the 72nd minute, he was tripped and the referee awarded a penalty kick, which Rakhmonaliyev scored to help Uzbekistan seal the 1-0 win.
After the game, the Iraqi players were lost and the goalie was crying. Uzbekistan players, on the other hand, celebrated wildly and interacted with the fans on the field, their excitement overflowing. Some of the players were so excited that they burst into tears, feeling emotional for having created a new history for the Uzbek men's soccer team.
After 64 years of waiting since the first U20 Asian Cup in 1959, Uzbekistan finally won the trophy for the first time, making up for their loss in the 2008 final to the United Arab Emirates. Last year, Uzbekistan successfully hosted the U23 Asian Cup and finished as runners-up. Now, they are back as champions, with the two national youth teams demonstrating Asia's top level, and are expected to seamlessly link up with the national team, contributing to the overall improvement of Uzbekistan's men's soccer team. In the next few years, the Uzbekistan national team is expected to rival strong teams such as South Korea, Japan and Iran, and is even expected to lock up an Asian spot in the 2026 World Cup, becoming a strong rival to the Chinese men's soccer team.
