Uzbekistan U-17 Victory Triggers Sharp Reaction from Kazakhstan: “He Who Hides the Illness, Perishes!”

The AFC U-17 Championship, recently concluded in Saudi Arabia, is still being widely discussed in the football world. The bravery, determination, and fighting spirit shown by Uzbekistan’s youth national team drew global attention and opened a proud chapter in the history of Uzbek football.

In the group stage, head coach Islam Ismoilov’s team left no chance to their opponents: defeating Thailand 4–1, China 2–1, and the host nation Saudi Arabia 3–0 to confidently qualify for the knockout phase.

In the playoffs, our players continued their dominant run: first defeating the UAE 3–1 in the quarterfinals, and then North Korea 3–0 in the semifinals.

The final was a rematch against Saudi Arabia. This time, the home team was under pressure to win in front of their fans. The first half turned out to be unexpectedly difficult for Uzbekistan — Nurbek Sarsenbaev and Miraziz Abdukarimov were sent off with red cards.

Despite being reduced to nine men, our young players showed real heroism in the second half. In the 51st minute, Muhammad Hakimov coolly converted a penalty, and in the 70th minute, Sadriddin Hasanov used his speed and individual skill to score a brilliant goal. With that, Uzbekistan, playing with two fewer players, beat Saudi Arabia again — 2–0 — and became the new champions of Asia.

This championship drew admiration not only from Uzbek fans but also from international experts. Particularly noteworthy were the comments of Kazakhstan national team spokesperson Yermukhammed Maulen:

“Uzbekistan U-17 became the Asian champions — we must acknowledge that. They defeated strong Saudi Arabia in the final. These players will grow up, be sold for big money, and earn high salaries. While in our country, such talents may only end up playing for Astana or Ordabasy. We are witnessing the rapid growth of Uzbek football. There’s a Kazakh proverb: ‘He who hides the illness, perishes.’ We must not hide the truth. Samat Smakov spoke openly about this, and other coaches must do the same,” said Maulen.

In addition to winning the title, several players from the Uzbekistan team received individual honors: Asilbek Aliyev became the top scorer with five goals, Ne’matullo Rustamjonov was named best goalkeeper, and Sadriddin Hasanov was awarded best player of the tournament.

Uzbekistan’s U-17 team will now head to the World Cup in November as the Asian champions. We hope that our youth will once again make our nation proud.

Wishing our young heroes continued success and new victories! Read 'Zamin' on Telegram!