Tajikistan U23 national team has been eliminated. after losing to UAE U23 national team scoring 0-2 in the AFC U23 Asian Cup 2022 group stage, Group D at the Lokomotiv Stadium, Tashkent.
UAE slowly gained momentum with Saeed Al Kaabi coming close twice, but was unable to get a header then a strike from close range on target.
Al Kaabi, however, then made up for his earlier misses when his neat exchange of passes with Mohamed saw the latter beating goalkeeper Shohrukh Qirghizboev to give UAE the lead in the 12th minute.
The Tajikistan backline came under pressure again in the 20th minute when a failed clearance saw Mohammed pouncing on the loose ball, but his strike missed the upright by mere inches.
Tajikistan, to their credit, kept pushing forward with their first real chance coming in the 23rd minute, but UAE keeper Suhail Abdulla was on point to deny Islom Zairov’s curling free-kick.
UAE continued to have the lion’s share of possession, but Tajikistan’s compact defence kept the game at 1-0 heading into the break.
Tajikistan clearly benefited from the breather as they enjoyed a bright start to the second half with Sunatullo Ismoilov coming on to replace Muhammadali Azizboev.
The substitute thought he had equalised when he finished a free-kick taken by Zairov, only to be flagged offside.
UAE were still able to find opportunities despite the Tajik pressure, and should have doubled their lead in the 63rd minute when Ahmed Mahmoud’s lobbed pass over the defenders found a surging Al Kaabi at the far post, who unfortunately shot wide from point-blank range.
Tajikistan were relentless in their search for the equaliser, but suffered another setback in the 77th minute when Naimdzhon Ibrogimzoda fouled Saeed in the box, with the substitute nearly converting the penalty to make it 2-0 to ensure UAE stayed in the race for the knockout stage.
Credit Photo : AFC
