Uzbekistan beat Iran 3:1 in a friendly international played on 24 September 2026. The hosts took an early lead and never looked back, despite conceding a second-half penalty goal. It was a result that contrasted sharply with their recent run of defeats.
Eldor Shomurodov opened the scoring in the tenth minute, a moment that set the tone for the rest of the afternoon. Iran responded with a yellow card for Saeid Ezatolahi in the seventeenth, a sign of frustration building on the pitch. The visitors made three changes at half-time, bringing on Saeid Hardani, Saeid Fallah and Dennis-Eray Eckert.
The second half began with Uzbekistan's fortunes shifting. Javokhir Urozov turned the ball into his own net in the forty-ninth minute, giving Iran a lifeline. Azizjon Fayzullaev went into the book a minute later, and Ali Beiranvand followed suit in the fifty-fifth as tempers frayed. Iran won a penalty in the fifty-eighth, but Shomurodov stepped up to convert and restore the two-goal cushion.
Both sides continued to make changes. Uzbekistan brought on Azizjon Ganiev and Dostonbek Xamdamov in the fifty-ninth, while Iran introduced Ehsan Hajisafi and Mohammad Mohebi sixty-four minutes from time. A Yousefi came on for Iran in the seventy-third alongside a yellow card for Rakhmatilla Jiyanov. The hosts then shuffled their pack, with Bektur Karimov, Odiljon Khamrobekov and Sherzod Nasrullaev all coming on.
Uzbekistan held on to win, though the game stayed open until the end. Sirojiddin Esanov received a yellow card in the eighty-ninth, and Shomurodov was replaced by Azizjon Fayzullaev at the same stage. Kholmat Norchaev added a late goal in the ninety-fourth minute, while Ali Nemati picked up a booking in the ninety-sixth. The result ended Uzbekistan's run of heavy defeats and gave them something to build on.
