ASIAN CUP: Uzbeks spoil Qatar party

DOHA : The football festival, featuring the region's top 16 teams, runs for three weeks up to the final on January 29 with the opening match played at the Khalifa Stadium, the 40,000-capacity jewel in Qatar's footballing crown.

And the fans turned out en masse for the near sell-out Group A game as the tiny country looks to prove itself after being controversially awarded the 2022 World Cup.

Odil Akhmedov and Server Djeparov shattered Qatari dreams with second-half goals to hand Uzbekistan a 2-0 win over the hosts in the opening game of the Asian Cup on Friday.

Central defender Akhmedov bagged the first goal of the tournament when he sent a looping 30-yard shot crashing off the underside of the bar and into the net in the 58th minute.

Captain Djeparov sealed the win 18 minutes later when he made the most of a sloppy back pass by Ibrahim Majed, firing the ball past goalkeeper Qasem Burhan.

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