Uzbekistan lose CAFA U19 regional title as they receive a 7-1 defeat from Iran

Previously unbeaten Uzbekistan are three points behind in second place, but Tuesday’s result, coupled with the competition’s head-to-head tie breaker format, means that even landslide results in Uzbekistan’s favour on Matchday Five cannot dislodge the Iranians from the top of the table.

With Iran and Uzbekistan earning three wins apiece prior to the match, it was clear that Matchday Four’s headline act would also serve as a de facto tournament final, but it took less than a minute for Niloofr Ardalani’s side to stamp their authority on proceedings.

Fahime Arzani had Iran on the scoreboard within seconds, and Uzbekistan found themselves 3-0 behind after seven minutes thanks to an early double from runaway tournament top scorer Rogheye Someye.

Someye would complete her hat-trick before half-time, giving Iran a 5-0 lead at the interval and taking her personal tally to a stunning 18 goals in four matches, while captain Maral Torkaman found the back of the net twice to take her tournament haul to 12.

Iran’s win means they will be the tournament’s inaugural champions regardless of the outcome of their final match against Kyrgyz Republic, while Uzbekistan, by the same token, are destined to finish second no matter what occurs in their match against hosts Tajikistan.

Also on Tuesday, Turkmenistan took a significant step towards a podium finish with a 2-1 win over fourth-placed Kyrgyz Republic, while winless Tajikistan and Afghanistan earned their first points of the competition in a 3-3 draw.

Wednesday’s fixtures (all times local): Turkmenistan v Afghanistan (1200 hours), Tajikistan v Uzbekistan (1500 hours), IR Iran v Kyrgyz Republic (1800 hours).

Photos: Central Asian Football Association