04/29/24 09:07:00
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04/29 21:05 CDT Uzbekistan and Japan qualify for men's Olympic soccer by
reaching U23 Asian Cup final
Uzbekistan and Japan qualify for men's Olympic soccer by reaching U23 Asian Cup
final
By JOHN DUERDEN
Associated Press
Uzbekistan qualified for men's Olympic soccer after years of near-misses by
reaching the Under-23 Asian Cup final.
The Uzbeks beat Indonesia 2-0 in the semifinals on Monday in Doha, Qatar, and
will face Japan for the title on Friday.
Japan secured an eighth consecutive Olympic appearance with a 2-0 win over Iraq.
The top three teams qualify automatically for the Paris Games, and Iraq and
Indonesia will meet in Thursday's playoff to decide the remaining place.
Uzbekistan has had an unlucky run. It won the biennial Asian tournament in the
non-Olympic years of 2018 and 2022. In 2020, the team finished fourth, missing
out on the Tokyo Games after losing the playoff against Australia.
There was no heartbreak this time. After Indonesia found the back of the net
but had a goal disallowed for offside, Khusain Norchaev scored midway through
the second half to give Uzbekistan the lead.
Indonesia's hopes of an equalizer were set back when Rizky Ridho was sent off
in the 84th, leaving his team with 10 men. Uzbekistan doubled the margin four
minutes from time when Pratama Arhan conceded an own goal.
Uzbekistan captain Abdurauf Buriev was delighted to secure an historic Olympic
berth but still wanted the Asian title.
"It's a very big moment in my career but I cannot say anything (more) because
it was a very emotional match and we still have one game to prepare for," the
midfielder said. "There was no pressure on me by being the captain, it gave me
some additional motivation and I focused on the game and obtaining the victory."
Japan scored twice in the first half to take control against Iraq, with captain
Joel Fujita instrumental in creating chances for Mao Hosoya and Ryotaro Araki.
The Indonesia-Iraq loser will face Guinea in a playoff in May with a place in
Paris at stake.
Indonesia, which upset Australia in the group stage and then edged South Korea
in a shootout after their quarterfinal finished 2-2, is aiming to reach the
Olympic tournament for the first time since the 1956 Games in Melbourne,
Australia.
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This story has been corrected to fix the Japan-Iraq score to 2-0.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
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