Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan return to the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Finals for the first time since 2003, after they overcame a red card and a spirited Nepal fightback to book their place in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026™ with a dramatic 4-2 win on penalties on Saturday.
The 2029 AFC Women's Asian Cup™ hosts, steered by new Head Coach Kotryna Kulbytė, led a perfect start to the AFC Women's Asian Cup Qualifiers, beating Sri-Lanka and Laos by significant margins (10-0, and 7-0 respectively).
The consequent decider between Nepal finished even at 3-3, leading to a tense penalty shootout, with the aforementioned 4-2 win a result of some fantastic saves from 25 year-old goalkeeper Maftuna Jonimqulova.
Kulbyte revealed that her side had prepared for the possibility of penalties ahead of the match.
“We came here to win the game, not to go to penalties. We even talked about that with the team before the match, so we practiced a bit just in case. Even though we won in the penalty shootout, not in regular time, I want to congratulate the players.”
The victory marks a major achievement for Uzbekistan, who return to the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Finals for the first time since 2003. But for Kulbyte, qualification is only the beginning.
“Now we need to put the emotions aside. We came through a difficult path and grew as a team. Being among the top 12 teams in Asia is a big step for us.
“We’ll now discuss our plans with the coaching staff and the Football Association and start preparing for the Asian Cup. If our goal wasn’t to reach the World Cup, we wouldn’t be here.”
The post-match revelry from the players and staff have endeared them to many football fans, with celebrations including players crashing the post-match press conference to sing, dance, and shower their coach in water.
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