Historic win: Uzbekistan overcomes Iran in CAFA Nations Cup final

On September 8, the Uzbekistan national team faced Iran in the final of the CAFA Nations Cup 2025. The Uzbek side, who played most of the game with a one-man advantage, secured a hard-fought victory in extra time.

In the 5th minute, Iranian player Arya Yusuf was shown a red card for a rough challenge on Abbasbek Fayzullaev. After that, Uzbekistan dominated possession and created several chances, but the first half ended goalless.

The second half also began with Uzbekistan on the front foot, though Iran managed to mount several dangerous counterattacks midway through. In the 54th minute, goalkeeper Utkir Yusupov left the field due to injury and was replaced by Vladimir Nazarov. In the 89th minute, referee initially gave Hodjiakbar Alijanov a red card, but it was downgraded to a yellow after a VAR review. Regular time ended 0-0, forcing the match into extra time. With just one minute left on the clock, in the 119th minute, Hodjiakbar Alijanov scored the decisive goal to seal Uzbekistan’s victory. This marked the first time the Uzbek national team has defeated Iran at home in official competition.