AFC U20 Asian Cup:
Iran to face Uzbekistan for group top spot
The top spot in Group C of the AFC U20 Asian Cup will be on the line when Iran and defending champion Uzbekistan go head-to-head in Shenzhen, China, today.
A 6-0 victory over Yemen on Sunday saw Iran sit atop the group table with six points, thanks to a superior goal difference over Uzbekistan, and a draw in today’s game will be enough to send the four-time champion into the last eight as the group winner.
Iran head coach Hossein Abdi looked to be confident in the pre-match press conference, saying that he will likely rotate his squad for the final group game.
“It was very important to take the three points from our match against Yemen,” said Abdi, whose team has netted netting nine unanswered goals in its first two outings.
“We’re a little relaxed heading into our next match against Uzbekistan, and will give a chance to the other players to get some minutes here in Shenzhen.
“We have to be careful about our players picking up cautions heading into the knockout stage. We know how Uzbekistan can play and we have other players in the squad to take us through the game.”
Having edged Yemen 1-0 in group opener, Uzbekistan secured a place in the quarterfinals after overcoming Indonesia 3-1 later on Sunday, with head coach Muhammadali Urinboev eager to maintain their winning momentum.
“Now we have one more battle with Iran, if we win, we can take a 100 percent record into the next round,” said Urinboev.
“This tournament is important for us and the fans because we are the defending champions and, hopefully, we are also the next champions.”
Both two sides will not know about their last-eight opponents until Group D fixtures conclude on Thursday, with the 2023 semifinalists South Korea and Japan in pole position to go through.
Beaten in the last-four shootout by Uzbekistan in the previous edition, South Korea is top in the group standings with maximum points and will face second-placed Japan (4pts) today.
Syria, which played to a 2-2 draw against Japan last time out, will still fancy its chances of advancing when taking on Thailand.
The four semifinalists in China will qualify for September’s FIFA U20 World Cup in Chile.