In the international friendly match held in Melaka, Malaysia, Uzbekistan’s national team faced strong rivals — Uruguay. Fabio Cannavaro’s men played with fighting spirit but eventually lost 1–2.
The match took place at the “Hang Jebat” Stadium. Both teams played cautiously in the first half, but in the second, Marcelo Bielsa’s Uruguay became more aggressive. Facundo Torres opened the scoring in the 51st minute, and ten minutes later, Juan Sanabria doubled the lead after Federico Viñas’s precise assist.
Nevertheless, Uzbekistan didn’t give up. Substitute Ruslanbek Jiyanov scored in the 82nd minute after a perfect pass from Husayn Norchaev, reducing the deficit to 1–2. Despite several dangerous attacks, the team couldn’t equalize.
After the match, Cannavaro said he was satisfied with his team’s effort: “Such matches against strong teams give us valuable experience and direction for the future.”
Uzbekistan’s key players — Eldor Shomurodov, Akmal Mozgovoy, and Azizjon Ganiev — were very active during the game. The substitutes Jiyanov and Norchaev were also praised by fans.
Experts noted that Uzbekistan’s performance stood out not just for the score but for the quality of teamwork. The match served as an important step before the World Cup qualification stage.
This match was not only a test for Uzbekistan, but also an important step towards increasing confidence before the World Cup qualifiers.
Uzbekistan - Uruguay 1:2
Goals: Torres (51), Sanabria (60), Jiyanov (82).
Uzbekistan: 12.Abduvohid Nematov, 2.Muhammadqodir Hamraliyev, 3.Hojiakbar Alijonov (4.Dilshod Saitov,84), 5.Rustam Ashurmatov, 6.Akmal Mozgovoy, 7.Otabek Shukurov (Ruslan Jiyanov, 60) 10.Azizjon G'aniyev (17.Abdurauf Bo'riyev,75), 13.Sherzod Nasrullayev (19.Azizbek Turg'unboyev,65), 14.Eldor Shomurodov (21.Igor Sergeev,84), 15.Umar Eshmurodov, 20.Hojimat Erkinov (9. Husayn Norchayev, 75).
Uruguay: 12.Franco Israel, 2.Santiago Bueno, 3.Nicolas Marichal, 5.Emiliano Martínez, 6.Marselo Saracci, 7.Kevin Amaro (11.Ignasio Lacintana, 46), 10.Rodrigo Salazar, 13.Federico Vinias, 14.José Luis Rodríguez, 18.Juan Manuel Sanabria, 21.Facundo Torres (8.Nicolas Fonseca, 87)
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