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.
Interview: Racism, abuse of weapons fuel gun violence in U.S. society, says Egyptian expert
Officials back warrants for HK fugitives abroad
China Focus: Netflix's adaptation of Three
Kenya, World Bank unveil carbon market guidebook for enterprises
Across China: Chinese people pay tributes to legendary ancestor
Hayao Miyazaki's animated fantasy further leads Chinese box office
Biden 'decides' reply to deadly attack in Jordan
Forum highlights structural reforms
Feature: African entrepreneurs eye opportunities in China's Xiong'an New Area
New hypersonic wind tunnel 'most advanced in world'