Uzbekistan's U17 national team suffered a heartbreaking penalty shootout defeat to Japan in the semifinals of the AFC U17 Asian Cup on May 19 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Asilbek Aliyev opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 28th minute, and Uzbekistan held the lead until the dying seconds of regulation time. However, Japan's Chimezikaya scored a dramatic equalizer to force the match into penalties.

In the shootout, Japan prevailed 3-2, converting their chances while Uzbekistan missed two spot kicks, ending their hopes of reaching the final.

Japan will now face the winner of the other semifinal between China and Australia in the final on May 22.

Uzbekistan had a strong run in the tournament, topping their group with a 3-0 win over India (after North Korea withdrew), a 2-0 victory over Australia, and then defeating South Korea on penalties (2-2, 5-3) in the quarterfinals.

The U17 World Cup is scheduled to take place in Qatar in November-December this year.

Source: kun.uz