Uzbekistan receive a 3-1 win from Belarus in Almalyk

With both teams eager to make it two wins from two after their respective victories over India during the last week, it was Bahrom Norsafarov’s side who flew out of the gates at AGMK Stadium, going ahead within nine minutes.

The winning goal scorer against India on Monday, Maftuna Shoyimova turned provider this time, slipping the ball to Nilufar Kudratova, who cut inside a Belarusian defender and drilled a left-footed effort into the bottom right-hand corner of the net.

Uzbekistan’s lead, however, fell seconds short of lasting until half-time, with Anastasiya Shlapakova timing her run to perfection before slamming the ball beyond Laylo Tilolova from 12 yards to make it 1-1 in the third minute of stoppage time.

The result likely swung on the 76th-minute goal scored by Belarusian defender Polina Shatsilenia, who deflected the ball into the back of the net from a few feet out following a corner kick, and the result was beyond doubt when the visitors added a third with two minutes remaining, with Karina Olkhovik adding a deft finish to a lovely counter-attacking move.

Uzbekistan’s defeat is their second from four matches against senior international teams in 2021, with a narrow loss to Nigeria sustained alongside wins over Equatorial Guinea and India.

The Central Asian side, ranked 41st in the world, are aiming to qualify for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022, with qualifiers to be held in September.