Uzbekistan U23 defeat Lebanon in Asian Cup opener

The youth national team defeated Lebanon 3–2 in their opening match.

Photo: UFA

The AFC U23 Asian Cup has kicked off in Saudi Arabia.

In their first group match, Uzbekistan’s U23 team faced Lebanon’s youth side and secured a 3–2 victory. The goals for Uzbekistan were scored by Amirbek Saidov, Ravshan Khayrullaev, and Sardor Bahromov. Leonardo Shahin netted a brace for Lebanon.

In the other group match, South Korea and Iran played to a scoreless draw, with both teams keeping clean sheets – 0:0.

The team coached by Ravshan Haydarov will play their next match against Iran on January 10.

A total of 16 national teams are competing in the U23 Asian Cup, divided into four groups. The teams finishing first and second in each group advance to the playoff stage. Unlike previous editions, this tournament does not offer Olympic qualification spots. As a result, many teams are not competing with their strongest lineups.

The U23 Asian Cup has been held since 2013. Japan’s youth team has won the tournament the most times – twice, including the most recent edition. Iraq, Uzbekistan, South Korea, and Saudi Arabia have each claimed one title.