Uzbekistan exact revenge on Saudi Arabia to once again show they are Asia s rising force

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Uzbekistan may not be one of the highest-ranked nations in Asian football.

They have never featured at a FIFA World Cup and, even though they are constantly able to give traditional powerhouses like Japan, South Korea and Iran a good run for their money, only once have they made it past the quarterfinals of the AFC Asian Cup.

The Uzbekistan Super League does not boast as much glamour or repute as some of their continental counterparts, with none of their clubs having reached the final of the AFC Champions League before -- even in previous iterations of Asia's premier club competition.

But if the recent exploits of their young guns are anything to go by, Uzbekistan could soon be a force to be reckoned with.

On Saturday, with an impressive 2-0 win over defending champions Saudi Arabia, the Uzbeks advanced to the semi-finals of the ongoing AFC U-23 Asian Cup.

In doing so, they kept alive their hopes of a maiden appearance in the men's football tournament at the Olympic Games.

Should they beat Indonesia in their next tie and reach the final, they are guaranteed a ticket to Paris.

Even if they fall short, qualification could still come in the form of a third-place finish or via a intercontinental playoff against Guinea.

Nonetheless, if their display on Saturday, along with their performances throughout the tournament, are anything to go by, they will take some stopping.

There may have been some who felt the White Wolves had yet to prove their true worth in the group stage after the luck of the draw had given them a less difficult hand than others -- but they still lived up to expectations in racking up consecutive victories over Malaysia, Kuwait and Vietnam.

Yet, a quarterfinal clash with Saudi Arabia provided the perfect opportunity to dispel the notion that they might be flat-track bullies -- and Uzbekistan did so in emphatic fashion.

From the opening whistle, they looked the better side even if their starting XI did not boast as many notable names as the opposition, who had their fair share of Saudi Pro League starlets hailing from now-globally recognisable clubs such as Al Nassr, Al Ittihad and Al Ahli.

They showed greater fluidity, organisation and intent and duly took the lead just before halftime when Khusayin Norchaev capitalised on some hesitant defending to nip in ahead of Rayane Hamidou and slot the opener past Mohammed Al-Absi.

Saudi Arabia's hopes of mounting a comeback were dealt a blow in the 70th minute when Ayman Yahya was shown a second yellow for a dangerous high challenge but, in truth, they had hardly threatened up till that point.

With six minutes remaining, Uzbekistan would put the result beyond doubt after Umarali Rakhmonaliev reacted quickest after Al-Absi could only parry a speculative effort by Abdurauf Buriev back into a dangerous area -- nodding home on the rebound from six yards out to seal his side's place in the last four.

There would have been an element of redemption for the Uzbeks given they had lost the final of the previous edition to Saudi Arabia, yet it is hardly likely that would have been high up on their list of motivating factors.

This Uzbekistan team are not here for revenge or to get one up on any team in particular.

They are simply here to continue to prove they are fast becoming one of Asia's top teams.

Now with 12 goals to their names and none conceded from four wins, there is no doubting Uzbekistan's quality, as well as their strength in depth, with coach Timur Kapadze constantly being able to rotate his starting XI and make important like-for-like substitutions with little adverse effect on their play.

It is also worth noting that Lens defender Abdukodir Khusanov and CSKA Moscow attacker Abbosbek Fayzullaev, two of their best players who are among the few currently playing in Europe, were not even present for the opening two games.

Kapadze was confident enough in the ability of his other charges to include them in his squad despite being without their services initially, but their belated arrivals have only made the Uzbeks even more formidable.

They may not be one of Asian football's glamour sides -- not yet anyway.

Still, claim a place at the Olympics -- or even go all the way in winning the U-23 Asian Cup -- and that could soon change for the exciting and ever-improving Uzbekistan.