Uzbekistan made India look like a school team in a 3-0 hammering in their AFC Asian Cup 2023 Group B game here at the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium on Thursday.
This was the first win for the Central Asia side in this edition of the tournament 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 shadows in most parts of the game, and lost deservedly, leaving its chances of progressing past the group stage to a miracle.
Playing against an extremely well-coordinated Srejko Katanec side, Igor Stimac’s men struggled to cope with the intensity and physicality of the Uzbeks.
The Uzbeks inflicted their blows, coming close to scoring four times in the first 20 minutes while finding the net twice.
AS IT HAPPENED: India vs Uzbekistan highlights
India, playing in a formation 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 instead of 4-2-3-1. India looked vulnerable right from kick-off as Uzbeks rained hellfire, with shots one after the other.
Within five minutes, they were 1-0 up. Sherzod Nasrullaev’s cross from the left found Otabek Shukurov, who headed it to Abbosbek Fayzullaev. The 22-year-old star of the Under-20 AFC Asian Cup 2023, then effortlessly headed it over Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and into the bottom-right corner.
Fourteen minutes later, Igor Sergeev overlapped with Fayzullaev, with the former scoring an international goal on foreign soil after three years.
Initially, a back-tracking Akash Mishra intercepted Fayzullaev’s cross from the left. But as the Mumbai City full-back’s failed clearance ricocheted off the woodwork, Sergeev arrived to sound the death knell.
India tried to claw back into the game, producing two clear chances at the brink of half-time. Naorem took a shot from outside the box while Sunil Chhetri tried a header from an Anirudh Thapa corner-kick.
But neither helped the cause, with the first one saved by Utkir Yusupov and the latter flying over the goal. Almost immediately, Uzbekistan attacked against the run of play and put the contest to bed before the break.
Nasrullaev’s shot, after receiving a pass from Farrukh Sayfiev, was initially denied by the post, but he found the net on the follow-through.
India resumed with fresh zeal in the second half, with Rahul Bheke almost scoring in the 72nd minute, with a header. But Yusupov’s reflexes got the better of him, with a fingertip push over the goal.
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