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Uzbekistan scored twice in the second half on Friday to beat Qatar 2-0 in the first match of the Asian Cup, dealing a setback to the hosts who had hoped a win on the pitch would compliment their glitzy opening ceremony.
Midfielder Odil Akhmedov gave the Uzbeks the lead in the 58th minute with a booming shot from 30 yards. The Uzbeks, ranked 109th in the Fifa world rankings, struck again in the 76th when an errant pass was intercepted by midfielder Server Djeparov, who scored from just outside the area.
The hosts, the second-lowest ranked side in the 16-team tournament above India, had their chances. Midfielder Fabio Cesar's free kick hit the post just before halftime and then striker Hussain Yaser shot was cleared by Uzbek defender Sakhob Juraev.
'I'm very happy because it was difficult match,' Uzbekistan coach Vadim Abramov said. 'At the same time, I'm sorry for the Qatari people. They had this big celebration and then to lose. But this is the game.' Uzbekistan came into the match as the favourite, with striker Alexander Geynrikh and midfielder Jasur Khasanov constantly pressing the Qatari defense. However, they lacked clinical finishing early on, with Geynrikh coming closest with a shot off the crossbar.
'I think we have a lot of excellent players,' Abramov said.
'This is not the maximum we can show. I think we can play better.' Qatar coach Bruno Metsu blamed himself for his team's poor play as well as the pressure of playing in front of more than 37,000 mostly Qatari fans at Khalifa Stadium.
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