Uzbekistan’s national football team thrashed Syria 4–1 in a friendly at Pakhtakor Stadium in Tashkent on October 1, securing Fabio Cannavaro’s first emphatic victory as head coach.
Sherzod Esanov opened the scoring in the 28th minute, while Akmal Mozgovoy doubled the hosts’ advantage before half-time. Early in the second half, Husain Norchaev made it 3–0 and completed his brace in the 90th minute. Syria pulled one back in stoppage time after an own goal by Muhammad Hakimov.
Before the Syria match, Uzbekistan had not won by more than two goals under Cannavaro. On September 24, the team defeated Iran 3–1; it had previously beaten Kuwait and Egypt 2–0 and Gabon 3–1.
Cannavaro said his players must approach every match with full seriousness, regardless of its official status.
“For us, there is no such thing as a friendly match. We have to take every game seriously. I asked the players to play at a high tempo and with intensity. We still have a lot to improve, but it is pleasing that we finished today’s game with a good performance and a win. Step by step, we are building a good team,” Cannavaro said.
Uzbekistan will play South Korea away in its next friendly on October 6.
Cannavaro took charge of Uzbekistan on October 6, 2025, replacing Timur Kapadze, who led the team to its first-ever World Cup qualification. The match against Syria was the Italian coach’s 13th in charge: Uzbekistan have won five games in regulation time, drawn twice and won both penalty shootouts, while losing six matches.
