India went down 0-1 against Uzbekistan in its second Group D match of the AFC U-17 Asian Cup at the Thammasat Stadium, in Pathum Thani, Thailand, on Tuesday, June 20, 2023.
Mukhammedali Reimov proved to be the super-sub netting the only goal of the match in the 82nd minute.
India head coach Bibiano Fernandes made one change to his starting XI, putting striker Thanglalsoun Gangte into the mix, in place of Akash Tirkey.
The contest here was a very different one for India compared to its previous one against Vietnam.
The Uzbekistan side looked a confident bunch after having held defending champion Japan 1-1 in its last game. It controlled large swathes of real estate through the first half against India, whose efforts to orchestrate counter-attacks were thwarted on most occasions.
India goalkeeper Sahil Poonia was called into action as early as the 12th minute when Oybek Urmonjonov pulled the trigger from long range.
India was intent to sit back and absorb the pressure deep in its own half, as Uzbekistan piled on the pressure. However the Indian defence, for the most part, kept the Uzbek attackers outside its area, restricting their attempts to shots from longish range.
Indian midfielder Lalpekhlua tries to stop Tulkunbekov from making a forward run from the middle of the park. | Photo Credit: AIFF
Sherzodbek Abdulboriev and Ollabergan Karimov had a couple of close attempts as the match ticked on beyond 20 minutes, but their efforts went narrowly wide.
India’s first real chance of the game came just a minute ahead of the half-hour mark when Lalpekhkua Ralte broke fast on the counter and sent an aerial cross from the left to Korou Singh, who was running in at the far post.
The India captain swung his left-footed volley with perfection, but it was palmed away by Uzbekistan goalkeeper Muhammadyusuf Sobirov.
Uzbekistan forward Shodiyor Shodiboev had, what could be termed their best chance of the first half when he weaved past his marker into the box and slapped a left-footer towards the bottom corner, but it went inches wide of the near post.
India striker Gangte raised Indian hopes in injury time of the first half, when he got in the way of Sobirov’s clearance. The ball rolled across an open goal, but the latter was close enough to collect it.
India looked a bit more lively in the second half, though Uzbekistan enjoyed majority possession of the ball. Substitute Dilshod Abdulaev came inches close to scoring after the restart, but his header went wide.
The loss here, against Uzbekistan, reduced India’s (in orange) chances to make it to the quarterfinals with the team now needing a win against Japan and a loss for the Uzbeks against Vietnam. | Photo Credit: AIFF
Fernandes introduced a couple of chances soon after, bringing on Rohen Singh in place of Lalpekhlua Ralte in the 57th minute, before making a double substitution to bring on Shashwat Panwar and Akash Tirkey in place of Thanglalsoun Gangte and Danny Meitei in the 63rd.
Akash’s introduction brought some life into India’s game as he looked to link up with Ricky on the left and create opportunities. However, it was Uzbekistan who took the lead in the 82nd, as substitute Mukhammedali Reimov scored with a right-footed volley.
A last-minute free-kick for India, from the left, was sent into the near post by Gogocha Chungkham, towards Shashwat, but the latter’s left-footed flick was not executed with perfection as Uzbekistan registered its first win in the Asian Cup 2023.
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