{"id":4457,"date":"2024-04-28T22:33:53","date_gmt":"2024-04-28T13:03:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/?p=4457"},"modified":"2026-09-25T13:46:41","modified_gmt":"2026-09-25T04:16:41","slug":"planning-for-the-future-uzbekistan-reap-the-rewards-of-youth-focus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/planning-for-the-future-uzbekistan-reap-the-rewards-of-youth-focus\/","title":{"rendered":"Planning for the future: Uzbekistan reap the rewards of youth focus"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3 id=\"professional-composed-effective\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Professional, composed, effective.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some of the superlatives used to describe an unerringly comprised, potentially historic victory for Uzbekistan as they moved one step closer to an Olympics debut; one step closer to breaking their eternal bridesmaid curse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Their 2-0 win over reigning <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/saudis-future-shines-for-historic-u23-triumph\/\">AFC U23 Asian Cup champions, Saudi Arabia<\/a>, ensures them a place in the semi-finals of the competition for the fourth time in succession. What\u2019s different this time is that they have not one, not two, but three chances at guaranteeing a place in Paris this coming summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Victory over Indonesia in Monday\u2019s semi-final would provide direct passage to the Olympics. Defeat would still offer a bronze medal match-up to make the top three in Asia heading to France. Further defeat even allows for an intercontinental playoff with Guinea for the final back door ticket to the tournament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Irrespective of the contingencies, Uzbekistan have a clear case to go all the way to the final and qualifying as Asian champions outright.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Their quarter final match-up with Saudi Arabia <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/asias-next-gen-ready-to-shine-in-familiar-surrounds\/\">could well have been the tournament\u2019s final,<\/a> as it was two years ago in Tashkent, if their opponents hadn\u2019t taken their foot off the pedal in their final group match against Iraq.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From the first whistle, Uzbekistan showed maturity. In a heated and raucous atmosphere, it was the Uzbek\u2019s that coolly executed their gameplay, while the Saudis all too often lost their cool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">How the tables have turned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"embed-x\"><blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\ud83c\udf1f \ud835\udc12\ud835\udc04\ud835\udc0c\ud835\udc08-\ud835\udc05\ud835\udc08\ud835\udc0d\ud835\udc00\ud835\udc0b\ud835\udc08\ud835\udc12\ud835\udc13\ud835\udc12 \ud83c\udf1f<br><br>\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddff Uzbekistan are through to the semi-finals for the fourth consecutive time. Persistent!<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/hashtag\/AFCU23?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#AFCU23<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/71AXcxbJcJ\">pic.twitter.com\/71AXcxbJcJ<\/a><\/p>&mdash; #AsianCup2027 (@afcasiancup) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/afcasiancup\/status\/1783895390141448641?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 26, 2024<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Five years ago, Uzbekistan squandered a 2-1 lead in World Cup qualification to the Green Falcons with five minutes to go, going on to lose 3-2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Defeat for the Saudis, in poignantly the last match before COVID, would\u2019ve derailed their hopes of qualification for Qatar 2022, and with it the job security of Herve Renard. Without such a turnaround, there wouldn\u2019t have been the famous Argentina scalp some three years later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The deciding factor at the time was a reversion to type. Uzbekistan, heady with enthusiasm and naivety became nervy under pressure, and the Saudis took full advantage. One could\u2019ve quite cruelly observed this was a proper footballing team merely toying with a hapless pretender.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Shrugging off their nearly-men caricature has become harder and harder. Near misses in World Cup qualification, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/what-does-the-future-hold-for-uzbekistan-after-another-failure\/\">Olympic qualifiers<\/a> and earlier this year at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/uzbekistan-the-masters-of-their-own-demise\/\">Asian Cup<\/a>, continue to linger over Uzbekistan, as some sort of curse that has come to define their progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In football, however, curses can be broken.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Their Saudi adversary, that continued to bite them at club, international and youth level, was cracked last year; progress to the U17 Asian Cup and Asian Games semi-finals with victory over Saudi Arabia in the last eight. Could lightning strike thrice at the U23 Asian Cup?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s no fluke, nor merely a change in mentality, but demonstrably the gap in quality between the pair from 2019 to now, has clearly narrowed, ironically at a time where Saudi domestic football is competing at its highest level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"TAG TV: &quot;We will play the best football Uzbekistan will ever play!&quot; - Abbosbek Fayzullaev\" width=\"1290\" height=\"726\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/UdoYFXF35bE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At its expense international football has taken a sizeable hit. Roberto Mancini\u2019s dressing room collapse in Qatar may have been instigated by individual bust ups, but a lack of playing time, on average, at domestic level probably destabilised the squad\u2019s preparations the most.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At U23 level that\u2019s been further pronounced. Two years ago, player of the tournament Aymen Yahya was just bursting onto the scene with Al Nassr, but has barely featured for them since, with only four starts this season to his name, in the shadow of Cristiano Ronaldo and Co.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A handful of the Saudi starting lineup could truly claim to be regular starters for their clubs. For the Uzbeks, most could credibly attest to being one of their club side\u2019s most integral players, let alone a regular starter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Uzbek Super League\u2019s suspension for two months for the duration of this tournament may look like a charitable PR stunt to support the national team, yet in reality the league would\u2019ve been played at half pace without those who travelled to Qatar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Over in the Saudi Pro League, few have even realised anyone has left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On top of a solid core, Uzbekistan called on five players currently plying their trade in Europe and a further three who had experience of playing there in the last two years. Saudi Arabia couldn\u2019t muster even one with comparable experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When the crucial moments came, it was by no surprise that Abbosbek Fayzullaev, currently ripping it up with CSKA in Russia, slotted in former Alania striker Khuisayin Norchaev for the opener, before Rubin Kazan\u2019s Umarali Rahmonaliev finished it off in the final 10 minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<a id='zycmkhUgROpeayQPckfa1Q' class='gie-single' href='https:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/2149800493' target='_blank' style='color:#a7a7a7;text-decoration:none;font-weight:normal !important;border:none;display:inline-block;'>Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'zycmkhUgROpeayQPckfa1Q',sig:'j6R7JraW2QCM8bRSCBxH4lBq6z7zhFwHInvdyyElIB8=',w:'594px',h:'409px',items:'2149800493',caption: false ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Momentum is everything, but it\u2019s taken long-term planning and consequence to get to this point. The UFA\u2019s foresight to embrace youth football early, in prioritising development camps that flew around the world for top level exposure, and in constructing an Olympic-proxy club side in the domestic structure to guarantee minutes and generate a winning style, has been the bedrock of this team\u2019s success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Exposure breeds results, and that starts early. It\u2019s no coincidence that seven of this squad played at last year\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/a-mixed-bag-for-asia-at-u20-world-cup\/\">U20 World Cup in Argentina<\/a>. As the aforementioned <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/the-best-is-yet-to-come-fayzullaev\/\">Fayzullaev told <em>The Asian Game<\/em> last year<\/a>: <em>\u201cIt was incredible to play in the (U20) World Cup. We gained so much experience and I think it will help us in the future.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Let\u2019s be honest though, the lack of money in Uzbek football has also inadvertently helped progress. The likes of Mukhammadkodir Khamraliev and Diyor Kholmatov, slow developers even a year or two back, are now leading figures for Tashkent giants Pakhtakor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While they\u2019re starting to illustrate their full potential for the reigning champions this season, the trust shown in them has come out of necessity rather than choice as the club makes significant financial cutbacks in favour of youth, a trend <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/rivals-eye-pakhtakors-crown-as-uzbek-super-league-kicks-off\/\">mirrored up and down the league<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By luck, or judgement, Uzbek football stands on a precipice. We\u2019ve been here before, we\u2019ve seen the them live up to their infamous billing time and time again, but this time, the stars are starting to align.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Paris awaits in the coming months, with the World Cup in North America the next staging post in their development to come. This remarkable rise from nearly men, to spearheading the bright future of Asian football, is one rocket ship to the moon we\u2019ll all enjoy riding over the coming years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><strong>Photo: <\/strong>UFA<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Professional, composed, effective. Some of the superlatives used to describe an unerringly comprised, potentially historic victory for Uzbekistan as they moved one step closer to an Olympics debut; one step closer to breaking their eternal bridesmaid curse. Their 2-0 win over reigning AFC U23 Asian Cup champions, Saudi Arabia, ensures them a place in the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":4458,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_gspb_post_css":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[466,512,80],"class_list":["post-4457","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-analysis","tag-afc-u23-asian-cup","tag-national-teams","tag-uzbekistan"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Planning for the future: Uzbekistan reap the rewards of youth focus - The Asian Game<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/planning-for-the-future-uzbekistan-reap-the-rewards-of-youth-focus\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"ro_RO\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Planning for the future: Uzbekistan reap the rewards of youth focus - The Asian Game\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Professional, composed, effective. Some of the superlatives used to describe an unerringly comprised, potentially historic victory for Uzbekistan as they moved one step closer to an Olympics debut; one step closer to breaking their eternal bridesmaid curse. 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