The AFC U-23 Asian Cup has officially kicked off in Saudi Arabia. The very first day of the tournament was interesting, as expected: in the opening match, the hosts of the tournament, Saudi Arabia, won with a minimal score - 1:0 - against the Kyrgyz Republic. In another clash in Group A, Vietnam secured a confident start to the tournament by defeating Jordan 2-0.
Now the focus is on the "B" and "C" group matches, which will take place on January 7. In particular, the Uzbekistan youth national team will play against Lebanon at the Prince Faisal Bin Fahd Stadium at 19:00 Tashkent time. Before this game, another important match in our group will take place - the clash between the national teams of the Republic of Korea and Iran. In short, in Group "C," the very first round is full of intrigue - hold the console, this night won't even forgive a "pause."
Lebanon U-23: Historic debut and new page
The Lebanon U-23 national team is participating in this tournament for the first time. Thus, for the Uzbekistan and Lebanon youth national teams, this is the first official match of the Asian Cup. Moreover, it's natural for the opponent to be in a mood to "show something from the start": everyone wants to prove themselves at the debut.
In the qualifying stage, Lebanon showed good results in Group "F" and qualified for the final stage. They showed their potential in matches against Malaysia, Thailand and Mongolia:
- Malaysia - Lebanon 0:1
- Lebanon - Thailand 2:2
- Lebanon - Mongolia 3:0
The team also includes players playing abroad: a total of 7 foreign players represent the country. And the head coach is Jamal Takha. That is, the opponent did not come "by himself," there is preparation and choice.
Uzbekistan Youth Team: Experience, Tradition, and Future Plan
Looking at the history of the U-23 Asian Cup, Uzbekistan has reached the finals in three of the last four competitions. He won the championship once and returned twice with a silver medal. And the last tournament became a historic event, which had special significance for our football - it provided a ticket to the Olympics.
This time, our national team is mainly represented by players aged 19-21. This choice is not without reason: the main goal is to give the players an "inner" sense of the atmosphere of the Asian Cup, to gain experience and, based on the plan, to strengthen systematic preparation for the next stages, in particular, for the most important tournaments for Olympic qualification.
Our team began preparations for the tournament on December 7 in Tashkent, at the National Football Center. Training continued until December 22nd, after which the national team traveled to Doha, where they continued their training camp. Friendly matches against the Jordan and Qatar U-23 national teams were also held as part of the training camp - that is, the plan was developed in practice, not on paper.
At the press conference on the eve of the competition, head coach Ravshan Khaydarov also openly expressed the team's mood:
"We aim to enter the field with confidence. I told the players that this tournament would serve as a bridge to big football. We came to the competition with good intentions and goals."
As a reminder, Uzbekistan will play against Iran and the Republic of Korea in the group stage, in addition to Lebanon. These matches will take place on January 10 and 13, respectively.
The conclusion is simple: today's match against Lebanon is a very important start before the next two "difficult trials" in the group. If we take the first step confidently, the next scenario will also be in hand. The fans have only one task: to support and trust the team - the field will decide the rest.
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