IR Iran down Uzbekistan to claim CAFA U-15 Women’s Championship title
Ghazal Morshediniknam and Diyana Norouzi both scored in the final quarter of an hour for Shadi Mahini’s side, who completed the tournament with three wins from as many matches.
Earlier, Kyrgyz Republic temporarily jumped into title contention with an emphatic 6-1 win over Tajikistan, only for Iran’s later victory to relegate them into second place.
Uzbekistan 2-3 IR Iran
Needing only a point to overhaul Kyrgyz Republic, Islamic Republic of Iran held their nerve to see off Uzbekistan, lifting the Central Asian women’s youth title after emerging from an entertaining clash as 3-2 winners.
While Iran confirmed their status as regional champions, Uzbekistan’s suffered a third successive loss as the hosts finished last in the four-team competition.
Having started the match on the bench, few would have predicted that Sayedehfatemeh Yousefi would score the opening goal, but the Iranian defender did exactly that in the 26th minute, 16 minutes after replacing Ariana Jozaei as an early substitute.
Eager to avoid another defeat, Uzbekistan levelled the tie in the 46th minute through the impressive Leyla Rustullaeva, but Morshediniknam and Norouzi scored in the final quarter-hour of the match, before Uzbekistan pulled back a late consolation goal through captain Makhzuna Abdukarimova.
Iran’s win followed earlier successes over Tajikistan and Kyrgyz Republic, as Mahini’s charges passed every test they encountered in Tashkent.
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