The Uzbekistan youth national team suffered a defeat against Japan in the final of the AFC U-23 Asian Championship, which took place from April 15 to May 3 in Qatar. The match, held on May 3 in Doha, ended with a score of 1:0.
Recently, the Uzbekistan Football Association announced that defender Abdukodir Khusanov, midfielders Khojimat Erkinov and Abbosbek Fayzullaev would not play in the tournament's final and would return to their clubs: French club Lens, Emirati club Al-Wahda, and Russian club CSKA Moscow. The organization and clubs had agreed that the players would participate in the tournament to achieve the main goal of securing a spot in the Olympics. Having accomplished this task, the youth national team released the players back to their respective clubs.
The lone goal in the match was scored in the 90+1 minute. The Uzbekistan team lost possession in the center of the field, allowing Japan U-23 to launch a quick counterattack, culminating in a precise strike from outside the penalty area by Fuki Yamada.
In the 90+7 minute, the referee awarded a penalty in favor of Uzbekistan, but the Japanese goalkeeper managed to deflect Umarali Rakhmonaliev's shot to the left corner.
As a result, Japan emerged as the champion of the AFC U-23 Asian Cup, while the Uzbekistan youth national team secured the second spot, earning them a qualification for the Olympic Games for the first time in history.
