Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) - President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev congratulated Uzbekistan U23 team on reaching the final of the AFC U23 Asian Championship in Qatar and winning a ticket to the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

On 29 April, Uzbekistan defeated Indonesia with a score of 2:0. In the final on 3 May, Uzbekistan will play against Japan.

«The country’s sports fans, our entire multinational people, greeted this brilliant victory, won for the first time in the history of football in our native Uzbekistan, with great joy and pride. This was our long-cherished dream. You have the right to be proud that it is thanks to you, the youth of New Uzbekistan, that this dream has become a reality», said the head of state.

He noted that the basis of this historic victory, «of course, lies in the close attention paid in recent years to the development of sports in our country, including football, and the large-scale practical work carried out in the field».

«Under the guidance of experienced coaches and specialists, our young athletes, purposeful and energetic, seriously prepared for this competition, demonstrated real skill, will and perseverance in every match, which undoubtedly deserves high recognition», the president emphasized.

«Throughout all five matches, in a tense confrontation with the strongest teams in Asia, our team not only reliably defended its goal, but also scored 14 goals against its opponents, which was an unprecedented achievement in the history of our football», he noted.

Shavkat Mirziyoyev expressed confidence that the team, «inspired by this victory, will worthily hold the final match in the fight for the honorary title of Asian champion».