Uzbekistan entered the first match of Group F of the VCK Asian Cup 2019 with the team considered the "road-throwing" team Oman. Coach Hector Cuper used the best players with the goal of nothing other than 3 points.
Although rated higher, the Uzbekistan team entered the match cautiously, they mainly used long passes over the line. Meanwhile, the game belongs to Oman. The West Asian team had extremely effective overlapping moves, confusing the Uzbekistan defense.
It seemed that the first half would end in boredom, but Uzbekistan suddenly scored. Captain Akhmedov scored a superb goal with a beautiful free kick from 27m. Oman tried to find an equalizer but the brilliance of goalkeeper Nesterov prevented the Central Asian team's efforts.
Despite being behind, Oman played very confidently. The tug-of-war situation continued in the second half, Oman after many efforts equalized 1-1 by Al Ghassani in the 72nd minute. The player came on as a substitute to break the equivalent of an offside trap before finishing past goalkeeper Nesterov. It seemed that the goal would help the representative from West Asia get more excited, but Uzbekistan's solidity cut off Oman's inspiration. Just 13 minutes after being equalized, Eldor Shomurodov shined with a dribble and then a tricky shot into the near corner, forcing Oman goalkeeper Al Rashidi to pick the ball up for the second time.
In the final minutes, Uzbekistan played with only 10 men after a red card from center back Krimets. However, the short remaining time was not enough for Oman to score more equalizers. In the end, Uzbekistan won a hard-fought victory over Oman with a score of 2-1 thereby ranking second in Group F of the 2019 Asian Cup, equal in points with Japan but with a lower goal difference.
