DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Uzbekistan qualified for men’s Olympic soccer after years of near-misses by reaching the Under-23 Asian Cup final on Monday. The Uzbeks beat Indonesia 2-0 in the semifinals and will face Japan in the final on Friday. Japan secured an eighth consecutive Olympic appearance by defeating Iraq 2-1. The top three teams qualify automatically for the Paris Games and Iraq and Indonesia will meet in Thursday’s playoff to decide the remaining place. Uzbekistan has had an unlucky run. It won the biennial Asian tournament in the non-Olympic years of 2018 and 2022. In 2020, the team finished fourth, missing out on the Tokyo Games after losing the playoff against Australia. There was no heartbreak this time. Khusain Norchaev scored midway through the second half and Pratama Arhan conceded an own goal four minutes from the end at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium. |
I'm a travel expertGaza's Nasser hospital: Fears for patients as Israeli raid continuesHow to sort your pension and Isa before the tax year ends: This is Money podcastTravel fanatic who has used TSA PreCheck for 'her whole life' SLAMS popular serviceSwiss antisemitism shock at Davos shop sign saying no skis for Jewish customersInside 'the best premium economy cabin in the WORLD': The Mail tests out EVA Air's awardI discovered that living in this fiveBrutalistRevealed: The pernickety passport rules Brits NEED to know before the Easter getawayNew wonders of the world! The crowd