DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Uzbekistan qualified for men’s Olympic soccer after years of near-misses by reaching the Under-23 Asian Cup final on Monday.
The Uzbeks beat Indonesia 2-0 in the semifinals and will face Japan in the final on Friday.
Japan secured an eighth consecutive Olympic appearance by defeating Iraq 2-1.
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. Khusain Norchaev scored midway through the second half and Pratama Arhan conceded an own goal four minutes from the end at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium.
Kylie Jenner displays her VERY edgy fashion sense in cleavage
Biodiversity rebounds in Qinghai
Xi Urges Young Officials to Take on Historical Task on New Journey
Scholars of South Sudan, China pledge collaboration for mutual development
Russian theater director and playwright go on trial over a play authorities say justifies terrorism
TikTok affirms commitment to upholding online safety
Chinese peacekeepers to DRC awarded UN Peace Medal
China takes steps to enhance telecom service, easing access for foreigners: spokesperson
Elon Musk gets approval from FDA to implant his Neuralink brain chip into a second patient
Xi Urges Young Officials to Take on Historical Task on New Journey