India's head-to-head record against AFC Asian Cup Group B opponents Uzbekistan

India do not have a good track record against Uzbekistan.

Uzbekistan qualified for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup from the third qualifying round after finishing first in a weaker Group C consisting of Thailand, Maldives and Sri Lanka. They also enjoyed the added advantage of being the host nation for the group.

In the 2019 edition, Uzbekistan progressed from their group but were defeated by Australia on penalties in the Round of 16. This time around, the White Wolves have the chance to exact revenge on the Socceroos in Group B. Uzbekistan are the second highest ranked side in Group B, sitting on 74th spot (27 ahead of India at 101) in the current FIFA men’s rankings. 

The Blue Tigers will be underdogs against Srecko Katanec’s men captained by striker Eldor Shomudorov who plies his trade at Spezia (on loan from Roma) in Serie A. History does not bode well for Stimac’s men in blue either. These are the results of the last five meetings between the two sides.

India 1-2 Uzbekistan (June 26, 2001)

Interestingly, the last time India faced Uzbekistan was also in a Group B clash. In the 2001 Merdeka Cup held in Malaysia, the Blue Tigers faced the White Wolves in their last group match.

Bakhtiyor Hamidullaev opened the scoring in the 19th minute. In the 32nd minute, Anvar Berdiev doubled the lead. India’s sole goal-scorer was the Black Buck of Indian football, IM Vijayan, who netted the ball home in the 45th minute.

Losses to Malaysia U-23 and Thailand U-23 in their first two Group B matches meant that India finished bottom of the group with three losses and a -4 GD.

India 2-3 Uzbekistan (November 24, 1999)

In the qualifications for the 2000 AFC Asian Cup, the two sides faced each other at the Tahnoun bin Mohammed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

Shukhrat Rakhmanqulov’s opener in the 17th minute was quickly cancelled out by Jo Paul Ancheri in the next minute. Fellow Keralite IM Vijayan scored in the 55th minute to give India the lead but Andrei Fyodorov’s goal in the 77th minute and Nikolay Shirshov’s goal in the 86th resulted in a 3-2 victory for the Uzbeks.

Sukhwinder Singh’s Indian side finished third in the group, below Uzbekistan and UAE, thereby failing to qualify for the 2000 AFC Asian Cup.

India 0-2 Uzbekistan (December 9, 1998)

A year before their encounter at the AFC Asian Cup qualifications, the Blue Tigers and the White Wolves faced off in a Group 1 match in the second round of the 1998 Asian Games held in Thailand.

Igor Shkvyrin who later played for Mohun Bagan and Churchill Brothers, scored the first goal for the Uzbeks in the 35th minute. Shuhrat Rahmonqulov added a second in the 49th and there was no return for India.

India finished bottom in the group after three losses where they scored two goals and conceded seven.

India 0-4 Uzbekistan (November 19, 1998)

When the Indian national team encountered their Uzbek counterparts in a friendly held a month before their AFC Asian Cup qualification match, the result was worse for the men in blue.

Aleksandr Khvostunov opened the scoring for the White Wolves in the 8th minute. In the 30th minute, Sergey Lebedev scored a penalty to double the lead. Goals by Nagmetulla Kutibayev and Rashidjon Gafurov in the 35th and 48th minute secured a 4-0 win for the Central Asian side.

The match was held at the Salt Lake Stadium and saw an attendance of 10,000 people.

India 0-0 Uzbekistan (November 16, 1998)

The result on November 19th was surprising considering the goalless draw the two sides had played out in a friendly conducted three days earlier at the Ambedkar Stadium in Delhi.

After Syed Nayeemuddin’s appointment as head coach of the Indian men’s football team in 1997, the Blue Tigers lifted the SAFF Cup and made their first semi-final appearance in the Nehru Cup. Unfortunately, the Indian national team went on to play a total of zero matches for a whole year before this clash against Uzbekistan. The lack of practice affected the side’s performance in the 1998 Asian Games that followed soon after.

With four losses and a draw in their last five encounters against Uzbekistan, Igor Stimac’s men will not have history on their side when they face the White Wolves at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium on January 18th, 2024. But with none of the current players of both sides having faced each other, the Group B clash will be an opportunity for India to improve their head-to-head record against the Uzbeks.

Picture Credit for Indian National Team: Wikimedia Commons