A repetition of what has been learned. Uzbekistan has once again lost to South Korea

A repetition of what has been learned. Uzbekistan loses to South Korea again

It was clear that the lineup of the Uzbekistan national team for the third match in the current FIFA "window" against South Korea would change significantly compared to the version that Fabio Cannavaro used in the lively home sparring match with the Syrians.

The Italian once again fielded the players who brought victory over the Iranian national team, and this option for Tuesday's match seemed to be almost optimal for the coaching staff of the Uzbekistan national team.

The tactical variation of the global football defensive mainstream 3-4-2-1, which Srecko Katanec had been building, was replaced under Cannavaro by an attacking 4-3-3 scheme, transitioning into a defensive 4-3-2-1 — with the central defensive duo of Abdukodir Khusanov and Jakhongir Urozov, and fullbacks Sherzod Nasrullaev and Bekhruz Karimov.

In the center, Odiljon Hamrobekov, Aziz Ganiev, and Akmal Mozgovoy are active, while in attack, Eldor Shomurodov is assisted by two wingers, Abbosbek Fayzullaev and Dostonbek Khamdamov, who in the defensive version against the Koreans must manage to track back.

A rumor spread on social media that the South Korean national team was losing its position as one of the leaders of Asian football. After the Koreans' elimination from the group stage of the 2026 World Cup, the whole world learned how fearsome its fans are in anger, and the highest-ranking of them — the country's President Lee Jae-myung — demanded that the Ministry of Sports conduct an official investigation into the football failure. The legendary former player and coach of the "Asian Tigers" Hong Myung-bo, who found himself under a barrage of criticism, resigned and was temporarily replaced by the Spaniard Roberto Moreno. The latter also received his share of flak after a 1-4 home thrashing by Uruguay and a lackluster goalless draw with Venezuela in late September.

Alas, the start of the meeting turned out to be not only difficult but also unsuccessful for our team — the Koreans still looked like a squad that was not only combative but also highly skilled. The rainy season in Southeast Asia has already ended, but the match in Yongin began for us with a cold shower. In the sixth minute, Korean captain Son Heung-min won a free kick 17 meters from the goal and took it himself — Abduvokhid Nematov seemed to prepare for the shot with all thoroughness, but still let the ball slip under his arm, which could not be called unsaveable: 0-1.

Then, fans probably missed a few heartbeats after Urozov gave the ball away near our goal, but Son ran with it into a strange slalom and missed the opportunity. After conceding the goal, our team resolutely took control of the ball, matching South Korea in almost everything except the goal scored. The "White Wolves" had their most important chance in the 36th minute: Mozgovoy found Ganiev practically in front of the goal, but his close-range shot was parried by Korean goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo.

In the second half, Cannavaro decided to add sharpness and creativity to the attack, bringing on Azizbek Amanov and Sherzod Esanov to replace Khamdamov and Ganiev, who had played unsuccessfully before the break. Both fresh players immediately took charge of the game on the approaches to the penalty area, and this activity led to Amanov soon having to have his head bandaged, and then Esanov finding himself offside several times. The Uzbekistan national team's need to score and the Korean team's desire added tension to the pitch.

Closer to the hour mark, it seemed that the Uzbeks would be able to restore parity in the score. First, Mozgovoy's pass to Esanov was intercepted by a Korean defender, and then Hamrobekov's shot from about 20 meters into the right corner was again parried in a dive by Jo Hyeon-woo. However, the worn-out football truism "if you don't score, they will" worked.

The Koreans rushed into a counterattack, Song Min-kyu received a pass in stride on the right and crossed to the far post, where the giant Oh Se-hun scored with the complete connivance of our defense, which was catching the air in the penalty area instead of the Korean forward. Nematov reached the ball but could not parry it: 0-2.

The Uzbekistan national team had enough time to turn the tide of the game and score a consolation goal. However, after numerous substitutions in both teams, the play on the pitch lost its structure and cohesion, although the intensity of the struggle did not decrease until the final whistle. Husayin Norchaev shot not very accurately, Mozgovoy and Amanov were mercilessly kicked on the legs by opponents, and Aziz Kholmurodov, who replaced Fayzullaev, rushed along the left flank exactly like his teammate until the very final whistle.

Statistics lovers, explaining the current defeat of our team, would refer to the predetermination of such a result: in 17 meetings with South Korea, the Uzbekistan national team has won only once, back in 1994 in the semifinals of the Asian Games, and has drawn only four times. It has not yet been possible to break this bad run. The Koreans won on class again. However, it often happens that one can get satisfaction from the game and give it to their public even while losing. At least, our team managed to do exactly that today. Not very spectacular, but very decent.