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.
Amir Khan's £11.5m luxury wedding venue finally hosts its first marriage: Bride arrives on horse
House leaders toil to advance Ukraine and Israel aid. But threats to oust speaker grow
Iran's missile, drone program among targets of upcoming U.S. sanctions: White House
San Francisco mayor announces the city will receive pandas from China
The fightback begins: Boss of London's Queen Mary University tells pro
Chicago's response to migrant influx stirs longstanding frustrations among Black residents
Iran hints it will build a NUKE if Netanyahu carries out a strike on its atomic sites
The fightback begins: Boss of London's Queen Mary University tells pro
A warrant for Netanyahu’s arrest was requested. But no decision was made about whether to issue it
Prue Leith's recipe for seeing red... her husband's online shopping habit!