Uzbekistan 2- 1
Vietnam
(Rustamjon Ashurmatov 8’, (Nguyen Quang Hai 41’ ) Andrey
Sidorov 120')
The stage was set for a glorious showdown between two very
different footballing nations as Central Asian powerhouse Uzbekistan faced
South East Asian red machine Vietnam at the Changzhou Olympic Sports Centre in
chilly conditions.
Vietnam had a remarkable run in the Championship carrying
the hopes of not just the Vietnamese people but the entire football fans of
south-east Asia as Hang-Seo Park's boys overcame Asian giants Qatar, Iraq and
Australia in the group and knock-out stages while losing to South Korea blazing
their way to the final.
Uzbekistan, on the other hand, beat Oman, China PR in Group
stage while losing to Qatar by a solitary goal. Uzbekistan annihilated Japan 4-0
in quarterfinals and South Korea 4-1 in the semifinals, storming into the final
as overwhelming favourites.
Substitute Andrey Sidorov delivered a late strike on the
dying minutes of additional 30 minutes after the game was in a stalemate until
the end of 90 minutes with scores tied at 1-1 to give Uzbekistan a dramatic 2-1
wins under treacherous conditions to lead them as winners of 2018 AFC U-23
Championship
Andrey Sidorov introduced just minute into the game emerged
as the unlikely hero as he found himself at the end of a low cross delivered
from a corner on 120th minute from Dostonbek Khamdamov, as Sidorov neatly
slotted it past Vietnamese keeper Bùi Tien Dung with his left foot to give
Uzbekistan a slender 2-1 win breaking millions Vietnamese fans.
Hang-Seo Park started with a 5-4-1 formation to deny
Uzbekistan any space and possession in the attacking half to counter the aerial
threat of the Uzbeks forwards.
Uzbekistan started with a 4-2-3-1, striker Zabikhillo
Urinboev leading the line and midfield trio of Odiljon Xamrobekov, Jasurbek
Yakhshiboev and Javokhir Sidikov were in charge of dominating the midfield.
Uzbekistan had to wait until the 8th minute for the first
goal as an unmarked Rustamjon Ashurmatov scored with a diving header from
Khamdamov corner to give a 1-0 lead.
Buoyed by the early goal, Uzbekistan used their physical
advantage to dominate the proceedings and maintained their shape and formation
to deny Vietnam any substantial possession till the half-hour mark.
FC Nasaf midfielder Odiljon Xamrobekov was instrumental in
the midfield as he combined well with Jasurbek Yakhshiboev and Javokhir Sidikov
to dominate the midfield, interchanging positions and flanks to fox the
opposition,
Javokhir Sidikov
header and Khamdamov shot forced Vietnamese shot-stopper Bùi Tien Dung into
swift actions as Uzbekistan pressed forward in unrelenting tempo while Vietnam
looked to catch Uzbekistan on the break with the counter-attack from Nguyen
Cong Phuong and Phan Vanh Duc.
Vietnam was presented with a free kick just outside the
18-yard box around the 40-minute mark and Nguyen Quang Hai restored parity with
a brilliant left-footed curler past a diving Botirali Ergashev much to the delight
of the travelling Vietnamese fans.
In the second both teams looked to gain a tactical edge with
odd chances at both ends as Uzbekistan looked to threaten with more defining
chances as Javokhir Sidikov was denied by Tien Dung from a close-range effort
diving down to his left.
Zabikhillo Urinboev had a golden chance to give Uzbekistan
the lead as Tien Dung parried a cross straight into the feet of the Uzbek
number 9 but Urinboev despite having space and time sailed the ball over the
bar in a wasted effort.
As the match rolled onto the additional 30 minute, Uzbek
manager Ravshan Khaydarov introduced fresh legs with two substitutions as Bobir
Abdixolikov and Andrey Sidorov to stretch the Vietnamese defence.
The move paid off immediately as Andrey Sidorov scored with
his first touch of the game with a clean left-foot strike after losing his
marker Bui Tien Dung II in the box from a Dostonbek Khamdamov corner at 120th
minute of the game to script a 2-1 win and emerge as the winners of 2018 FC
U-23 Championship.
