Iran's national football team fell to a 3-1 defeat against Uzbekistan in an international friendly on Wednesday. The match, played at Istiqlol Stadium in Fergana, saw Eldor Shomurodov score twice for the hosts, with an own goal contributing to the final score.
Shomurodov opened the scoring in the 10th minute. Uzbekistan doubled their lead in the 49th minute when Jakhongir Urozov turned the ball into his own net. The forward added a third from the penalty spot in the 58th minute, and Khusayin Norchaev sealed the win in stoppage time. Mehdi Taremi scored Iran's lone goal in the 75th minute.
Head coach Amir Ghalenoei made five substitutions in the second half but could not alter the course of the game. Iran, ranked 22nd in the world, are third in their World Cup qualifying group with 3 points from three draws.
Reaction and next steps
Ghalenoei told reporters after the match: "It was a tough game and our defensive line made mistakes in several situations. We need to review and correct these errors."
Iran's next fixture is an away World Cup qualifier against Russia on September 29. The squad list and player statistics are available on the squad page.
This loss marks Iran's first defeat in their last five matches, with their most recent victory being a 3-1 win over Gambia in late May.
