Jeddah, May 11: In their final group match of the AFC U-17 Asian Cup 2026 held at King Abdullah Sports City Hall Stadium, the Indian men’s football team faced a disappointing 0-3 defeat against the defending champions, Uzbekistan.
This loss marks the end of India’s journey in the tournament, shattering their hopes of directly qualifying for the FIFA U-17 World Cup. After suffering a heavy defeat in their opening match against Australia, the Indian team needed a win to stay in contention. Consequently, they played cautiously against Uzbekistan, who displayed aggressive gameplay throughout the match.
Despite the pressure in the first half, India’s defense performed admirably. The backline maintained good shape, and goalkeeper Rajroop Sarkar thwarted several attempts from Uzbekistan. However, a significant error occurred in the 32nd minute when Sarkar ventured outside his line to stop Uzbekistan’s attack but ended up bringing down their player, Laziz Abdurakhimov, in the penalty area. This resulted in a penalty corner, which Abdurakhimov converted, giving Uzbekistan a 1-0 lead.
India made several attempts to score before halftime but failed to find the net. Gunleiba Wangkheirakpam delivered a brilliant cross in front of the goal, but no Indian attacker could convert it into a score. In the 56th minute, India came close to equalizing when Dallalamuon Gangte took a fantastic free-kick that rattled the crossbar and deceived the goalkeeper. Hiranngamba Seram reacted quickly to the rebound but missed the chance to score.
Uzbekistan doubled their lead due to a mistake by Wangkhem Denny Singh, who inadvertently directed a corner from Makhmud Muradov into his own net, making it 2-0. In the 78th minute, Akhorbek Ravshanbekov scored the third goal for Uzbekistan. After his initial attempt was blocked, he quickly reacted to the rebound and skillfully deceived Sarkar to secure the victory.
My name is Ganpat Singh Choughan. I am an experienced content writer with 7 years of expertise in the field. Currently, I contribute to Daily Kiran, creating engaging and informative content across a variety of categories including technology, health, travel, education, and automobiles. My goal is to deliver accurate, insightful, and captivating information through my words to help readers stay informed and empowered.
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