With luck, that's it! 3 red cards, 2 penalty kicks...

The Uzbekistan national team has played 7 matches so far in the 3rd round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. It should be noted that our team has been lucky in several ways in these seven matches. We can even say that this is a situation that came at the expense of class!

Uzbekistan - North Korea 1:0

Uzbekistan played against North Korea in the 1st round. Our team won this match 1:0. The only goal was scored by Jaloliddin Masharipov.

In this match, Utkir Yusupov saved a penalty kick from our opponents. This save helped us start the first round with a win.

Uzbekistan - Iran 0:0

In the 3rd round, our representatives hosted Iran at home (0:0). In the 57th minute of the match, which was almost evenly contested, Persian player Hardani received a red card and left the field. We could not take advantage of this situation. However, this episode still worked in our favor. Maybe Iran, which played with 11 men, would have managed to score a goal before the end of the match? In addition, a penalty could have been awarded to our goal near the end of the match. Rustam Ashurmatov played the ball with his hand inside our penalty area. The referee initially showed the 11-meter mark, but after the VAR check, the referee changed his decision.

Uzbekistan - UAE 1:0

In the 4th round, we hosted the UAE at home. The only goal scored by Otabek Shukurov from a penalty kick in the 76th minute decided the fate of the match. It is noteworthy that in this match, our opponents also received a red card. In the 65th minute, Abdulla Hamad was sent off for a foul. However, our compatriots, who were active on the field, increased their activity in the remaining minutes. As we mentioned above, Otabek Shukurov converted a penalty kick taken by Bobir Abdikholikov in the 75th minute.

North Korea - Uzbekistan 0:1

In the 6th round, our representatives tested their strength with North Korea in Laos. Abbosbek Fayzullaev scored a goal just before the end of the half, putting our representatives ahead. In the second half, the Koreans came out on the field with great enthusiasm and managed to create many dangerous chances in front of our goal. In the 83rd minute, after a VAR check, a penalty was awarded to our team's goal. Our defender Umar Eshmurodov was also sent off for foul play. However, this time, Utkir Yusupov made a great save and contributed to our team getting three points.

Uzbekistan - Kyrgyz Republic 1:0

In this match, our team managed to create dangerous situations from the first minutes. As a result, Said Datsiev received a red card and was sent off for stopping Khojiakbar Alijonov in a one-on-one situation with the goalkeeper in the 24th minute. However, Eldor Shomurodov was unable to convert the 11-meter kick into a goal. However, in the 40th minute, Alijonov, who had earned a penalty and a red card, scored a goal and put our team ahead. Although in this match our opponents "lay down" in defense after the red card, it reduced their attacking opportunities. In any case, we can say that the sending off worked in our favor.

First of all, the schedule was favorable for us. We played the first rounds against relatively easy opponents. In addition, in the matches against us, the opponents received red cards 3 times. Also, Utkir Yusupov saved two penalties. Considering that the penalties he saved were at the time when the score was minimal (1:0), he has a significant contribution to the points we are currently accumulating.

Luck has not smiled so much on our national team before. This time, everything seems to be working in our favor. Even the points we received from North Korea's two main rivals, Qatar and the UAE, in the first round indicate this. There is no doubt that we are strong. Two factors combined are bringing us the results we need. Keep it up!

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