Australia pegged back by Uzbekistan but finish top of Asian Cup group

23-Jan-2024 13:59:51 | Guardian

Martin Boyle converted controversial first-half penalty
But White Wolves were well worth their equaliser

In the end, Azizbek Turgunboev’s 78th-minute equaliser felt like cosmic justice for Uzbekistan. Sprinting in from his position on the right, the 29-year-old soared to meet a ball lofted in by Jaloliddin Masharipov, rising, fairly, over the top of Aziz Behich and giving Maty Ryan no chance of keeping the ball from nestling into the back of the net. It ensured that the White Wolves would progress as the second-placed finisher in group B, advancing alongside the top-of-the-tree Socceroos, who topped the standings after Tuesday evening’s 1-1 draw at the Al Janoub stadium in Qatar.

It also ensured that the Uzbeks would be rewarded for a performance in which they were the better side across the 90 minutes, and prevented Martin Boyle’s controversial penalty in first-half stoppage from proving the difference. Because never was a round of applause delivered with more contempt than the ovation Uzbekistan coach Srečko Katanec gave the fourth official in the moments before the Scottish-born Socceroo drilled a penalty into the bottom corner of the net, sending Utkir Yusupov the wrong way and converting the game’s only shot on target.