Uzbekistan midfielder Bobur Abdurakhmonov heads clear in the AFC U-16 Championship hosts 2-0 win over Bahrain.TASHKENT – Uzbekistan scored a goal in each half to beat Bahrain 2-0 and seal their place in the quarter-finals of the AFC U16 Championship at Pakhtakor Stadium on Wednesday.
Bobur Abdurakhmonov gave the hosts the lead one minute before the break while Oyatullahon Muhiddinov doubled the home side’s lead eight minutes into the second half as Uzbekistan joined Iran as the two qualifiers from Group A in the last eight.
The Uzbeks started brightly and their first real threat came on 11 minutes when Ayubhon Gapparov sent a cross from the left which was headed over by Abdurakhmonov.
Fourteen minutes later the hosts threatened again, this time Abdumutallib Abdullaev went down the right side of the penalty area before firing off a shot from a tight angle that Bahrain goalkeeper Ahmed Abdulrasool did well to keep out.
The tempo of the game dropped until the closing minutes of the half when Uzbekistan went close again, only for Tohirjon Shamshitdinov to see his shot saved by Abdulrasool.
Abdulrasool was on hand a minute later to deny Abdullaev, but as the Uzbeks increased the pressure, Bahrain’s resilience finally broke.
With a minute remaining in the half, Abdullaev somehow managed to steer the ball into the path of Abdurakhmonov while lying on the ground and he found the back of the net with his first-time shot.
Uzbekistan continued their good work after the interval and within eight minutes of the restart they had doubled their advantage when Muhiddinov slotted the ball into the bottom left corner.
It should have been 3-0 on 61 minutes when Abdullaev sent a cross from the left to Gapparov who met the ball with a first-time volley but Abdulrasool saved with his legs.
Abdulrasool made another good save three minutes later when Abdullaev had a powerful shot from distance but the Bahraini goalkeeper pushed the ball away before his defenders cleared the danger.
Needing to win to progress, Bahrain finally went on the attack and should have scored on 69 minutes but Ali Muneer’s volley from close range was straight into the arms of Uzbekistan goalkeeper Oybek Talipov.
Bahrain continued their pressure in the remaining minutes and they nearly claimed a goal with six minutes remaining but a shot from substitute striker Ahmed Isa went wide.
Source:The AFC.com
