[QODLink]
Football
Uzbeks end Jordan's dream run
Untested striker Ulugbek Bakaev scores two quickfire goals as Uzbekistan reach their first Asian Cup semi-final.
Last Modified: 21 Jan 2011 20:25 GMT
Jordan's Bashar Bani Yaseen celebrates his goal, but alas, his team lost Uzbekistan in the quarter-finals [Reuters]

Two goals in four minutes from Ulugbek Bakaev put Uzbekistan into the Asian Cup semi-finals for the first time as they ended previously-unbeaten Jordan's run at Khalifa Stadium in Doha.

The match sprang to life in the opening 60 seconds of the second half when striker Bakaev, one of five new starters for Uzbekistan, stole away from his marker to knock in a free kick from Server Djeparov with his shoulder.

Four minutes later it was 2-0 after Bakaev again reacted quicker than the Jordan defence to convert Jasur Khasanov's cross from the left.

Jordan hit back when captain Bashar Bani Yaseen, who appeared to lose some teeth in an accidental clash in the first half, smashed the ball home from close range in the 58th minute after Uzbek goalkeeper Ignatiy Nesterov parried a close-range header.

Nesterov, who received lengthy treatment in the first half after a clash with his own player, left the field shortly after Jordan's goal and substitute keeper Temur Juraev did well to block Ahmad Abdelhalim's shot soon after coming on.

Roared on by a noisy, mostly Jordanian contingent in the 16,073 crowd, the Middle East side pushed for an equaliser while the Uzbeks looked rattled and gave away possession frequently before recovering to calmly play out the final stages of Friday's match.

"Big, experienced player, I know him well," Uzbekistan coach Vadim Abramov said of Bakaev.

"I give him a chance, he scores two goals."

Abramov said his team's ambition was to win the Asian Cup for the first time.

"Yes, why not? From first time I came to a press conference, I tell you we come to win this tournament," he said.

Uzbekistan next play the winners of Saturday's match between Australia, at 26 the highest-ranked side in the tournament, and holders Iraq at Al Sadd.

Jordan's defeat came after they drew with Japan and beat Saudi Arabia and Syria in the group stages.

"I am very proud of my players for what they have delivered," Jordan coach Adnan Hamad said.

"They lost focus and concentration in the first five minutes of the second half, but after that we scored and got back on track and were very near to a draw. The determination was there but they were affected by fatigue.

"Fatigue and exhaustion was there, and we are missing four first-team players. Anyway we're out with our heads held high."

Source:
Al Jazeera and agencies
Topics in this article
People
Country
City
Featured on Al Jazeera
Murder of Somali draws ire of foreign African nationals over rising xenophobic violence.
We look at the impact of increased sanctions against the Islamic Republic and ask who it really affects.
Tupamaros enforce rough justice in Venezuela's slums to support socialism, but critics say the group are violent thugs.
More than a decade ago the US launched a war against Afghanistan, but was it a justified battle?
Featured
Two years since the start of the uprising, rebels and Assad's forces remain locked in conflict.
Extensive coverage of political unrest that spread from Istanbul to other areas.
Revelations over NSA spying are threatening president's European trip.
Some urbanites are returning to their rural roots to farm the land.
Kuwait's 'Bidoon' have been stripped of rights and treated as second-class citizens.
join our mailing list