Iran suffers second defeat against Uzbekistan in friendly double-header
The Iranian women’s national football team fell to a second defeat against Uzbekistan in four days, losing 1-0 in a friendly match in Tashkent on Tuesday.
Marziyeh Jafari’s side had previously suffered a 2–0 loss to the Central Asian side on Saturday.
The matches were part of both teams’ preparation for next year’s AFC Women’s Asia Cup, which begins on March 1 in Australia.
Iran will face Australia, South Korea, and the Philippines in a tough Group A.
“These two games gave us the chance to see more players in real match conditions. Some of the girls really impressed me and made me reconsider certain positions. The players have reached a good level of confidence, which is a major boost for the team because we can’t afford to rely on a limited group of players,” Jafari said after Tuesday’s defeat.
Iran had to play both games without star players Zahra Qanbari, Negin Zandi, and first-choice goalkeeper Zahra Khajavi – all absent from the trip to the Uzbek capital for various reasons.
“I would have appreciated having a few more players available so we had more options for arranging the lineup, but even with this group, we put in a decent performance – especially in the second game, which we dominated throughout the 90 minutes. I’m sure with a bit more coordination among the players and an established striker up front, we definitely could have won the match,” added the Asian women’s coach of the year.
“These games helped clarify the selection pathway for the squad heading to Australia. I’ve now seen almost every player in competitive action, and if I need to make changes to the lineup in the future, I have a much clearer and more detailed understanding of each individual.”
Iran, which was knocked out in the group stage on its Asian Cup debut in 2022, will begin its campaign in Australia against South Korea – runner-up to China in the previous edition – in Gold Coast on March 2.
Team Melli will then face the formidable host nation – a 2023 World Cup semifinalist – on March 5, before concluding the group phase against the Philippines, a 2022 Asian Cup semifinalist, three days later.