AFC
Tashkent
Uzbekistan closed their AFC Asian Qualifiers - Road to 26 campaign with a commanding 3-0 win over Qatar on Tuesday.
Timur Kapadze’s men, who have already booked their spot in their first FIFA World Cup Finals, finished with 21 points from 10 matches.
Qatar will have to navigate the playoffs, where two additional places at next year’s global showpiece are up for grabs. The West Asians finished fourth in Group A with 13 points.
A slow first 20 minutes was highlighted by a half-hearted try by Qatar’s Amro Syrag, a looping header by Uzbekistan’s Husniddin Aliqulov and a run down the middle from his captain Eldor Shomurodov, who outran three defenders only to be dispossessed.
The game burst into life in the 28th minute when Azizbek Turgunboev evaded two tackles down the right and sent a screamer that rocked the underside of the bar and gave keeper Salah Zakaria no chance at all.
Zakaria and the Qatari defence were kept on their toes in the following minutes by the twin strikeforce of Shomurodov and Jaloliddin Masharipov, who combined to make three attempts at goal.
The custodian later kept his side in the match when he pulled off a fine save on the stroke of half time from Shomurodov down the right and then held on to a close-range effort by Abbosbek Fayzullaev five minutes into time added on.
The hosts started the second half with a fierce strike from Masharipov,, who sprinted down the left and curled his shot wide past the right post.
Qatar were constantly kept on the backfoot, with Zakaria making yet another crucial save when he shielded Khojiakbar Alijonov’s shot from the edge of the six-yard box in the 63rd minute.
Shomurodov scored their second in the 86th minute when he latched on to a long pass from Jamshid Iskanderov, controlled the ball with his right foot and unleashed a shot with his left that flew past an outstretched Zakaria.
Uzbekistan sealed the match in the second minute of stoppage time when Igor Sergeev, who had come on a minute earlier in place of Shomurodov, scored with a close range header.
