Uzbekistan defeats Kuwait in Cannavaro's debut match

On October 9, the Uzbekistan national team played a friendly match against Kuwait at the Olimpiya Stadium in Tashkent. In Fabio Cannavaro’s first match as head coach, the “White Wolves” secured a victory.

The game began positively for Uzbekistan. Just 10 minutes after kickoff, team captain Eldor Shomurodov opened the scoring by going one-on-one with the goalkeeper. In the 19th minute, Khojimat Erkinov doubled the lead. Two minutes later, Abbasbek Fayzullaev sustained an injury and was replaced by Azizbek Turgunboev. The score remained unchanged at 2–0 by the end of the first half.

The second half also started with the “White Wolves” maintaining their dominance. They launched several attacks, and in the 60th minute, a Kuwaiti player fouled Khojimat Erkinov in the penalty area, resulting in a penalty kick. However, Otabek Shukurov failed to convert it. Despite continued control from the home side, the score stayed 2–0 until the final whistle.

This marked Fabio Cannavaro’s first victory as head coach of the Uzbekistan national team.

For reference, the Uzbekistan national team will play against Uruguay in Malaysia on October 13.