Uzbekistan receive a 1-0 defeat from Syria in UAE

The match was the first official test for Syria under new head coach Nabil Maaloul, who called up several foreign-based players for the training camp.

Uzbekistan suffered an early blow as they were reduced to 10 men when defender Khojiakbar Alijonov was sent off 10 minutes into the match for a foul on Alaa Dali.

Syria took advantage of their numeral superiority three minutes into the second half as Kamel Hamisha sent a neat pass to Al Mawas, who beat the offside trap to beat Botirali Ergashev with a right-foot shot.

Ergashev denied Al Mawas a second goal in the 59th minute when he saved a penalty but his heroics failed to spark an Uzbekistan comeback.

The two sides are preparing for the resumption of the Asian Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and AFC Asian Cup China 2023.

Syria are currently top of Group A with 15 points from five matches while Uzbekistan are leading Group D with nine points from five matches.

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