Why did Masharipov not take the penalty against UAE?
Sport
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16 October
13033In the 4th round of the World Cup qualifiers, the Uzbekistan national team secured a 1-0 victory over the UAE, bringing their points total to 10. The only goal of the match came from Otabek Shukurov, who scored from the penalty spot.
Initially, Jaloliddin Masharipov was set to take the penalty after it was awarded by the referee. However, he ultimately decided to let Otabek Shukurov take the shot instead.
The decision stemmed from Masharipov's awareness of former teammates in the UAE squad who had played alongside him at Shabab Al-Ahli. One of these players informed the UAE goalkeeper about Masharipov's penalty-taking style. Concerned about repeating his past mistakes from the Asian Cup held in Qatar earlier this year, Masharipov chose to step back. In that tournament, during the 1/8 finals against the host nation, Uzbekistan faced a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw in regular and extra time. Unfortunately, Masharipov, along with Rustam Ashurmatov and Zafarmurod Abdurakhmatov, missed their attempts, resulting in Uzbekistan's exit from the competition.
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