The Uzbekistan U17 national team continues its confident run in the AFC U17 Asian Cup. Our representatives first secured a spot in the World Cup, and then showed true character in the quarterfinals against South Korea to reach the semifinals.
The match against Korea ended in a 2-2 draw. In the penalty shootout, the young Uzbek players showed composure and snatched a crucial victory. Now, Sergey Chigodayev's charges face another major test against Japan for a place in the final.
In this tournament, Andijon player Ahror Ravshanbekov has stood out for Uzbekistan. He scored a brace against South Korea and contributed significantly to his team's advancement to the semifinals. Having scored 4 goals so far, the young forward has become a serious contender for the tournament's top scorer award.
The Andijon club press service spoke with Ahror Ravshanbekov. The player said that before the game against Korea, the team believed in victory and now all attention is focused on the semifinal against Japan.
"We believed we would win the match. Of course, we were very happy that we did. Now we are preparing for the semifinal match against Japan," said Ravshanbekov.
Ahror, who scored twice against Korea, did not hide the fact that he actually aimed to score a hat-trick in that game. According to him, one of his main personal goals in this championship is to become the top scorer.
"My goal in this championship is to be the top scorer. Actually, I had the goal of scoring a hat-trick against South Korea. Well, it was meant to be two goals, so I scored two," he said.
The young footballer's goal tally has reached 4. Ravshanbekov emphasized that he does not attribute this result only to luck, but that he has set clear goals for himself and is working hard toward them. He said he would try to score a brace or a hat-trick against Japan as well.
"We have a semifinal match against Japan ahead of us. I will try to score a brace or a hat-trick in this game too. It's not just about luck. I have set a goal for myself and that's why I am working and trying hard," said Ahror.
Speaking about the match against Japan, he stated that the team is 100 percent ready for this encounter. Ravshanbekov emphasized that acting on the coaches' instructions and winning to reach the final is the main goal.
The Uzbekistan U17 national team has already secured a World Cup ticket. But the players' plans do not stop there. According to Ravshanbekov, the team wants to reach the final of the Asian Cup and win the championship.
"Of course, we are happy that we qualified for the World Cup. But our goal has not ended there. Reaching the final of the Asian Cup and winning the championship is our main task," he said.
The young footballer also mentioned that he received the first congratulations after the game against Korea from his parents, uncles, friends, and loved ones. He also emphasized that the support of the people of Andijon and all the fans is giving the players great strength.
Ravshanbekov believes that the confidence in the team has increased even more after qualifying for the World Cup. In particular, the dramatic victory against Korea gave the players a great psychological boost.
"Our team's self-confidence has increased significantly. After the game against Korea, our belief in ourselves has grown even stronger. God willing, if we beat Japan and achieve our goal, we will be the best in Asia," said Ahror.
He also noted that games like the quarterfinals and semifinals are almost as important as the final. He emphasized that just as South Korea was a strong opponent, Japan is also coming in very good form.
In short, the Uzbekistan U17 national team is preparing for the semifinal with great confidence. Ahror Ravshanbekov has set himself a big goal: to be the top scorer, to score against Japan, and to become an Asian champion with his team. Our youth have confidence, they have character, now it only remains to prove it on the pitch once again.
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