The key facts

  • Uzbekistan led 2:0 but lost 2:3 to Russia in Tashkent on 12 November
  • Russia scored three goals in nine minutes; Komlichenko scored a brace
  • For 19-year-old Bekhruz Karimov, the goal was his first for the national team

Match course: from 2:0 to 2:3

On 12 November at the Pakhtakor stadium in Tashkent, Uzbekistan lost to Russia 2:3 in a friendly match. The hosts took the lead as early as the 5th minute: visiting defender Viktor Melekhin, after a corner kick, deflected the ball into his own net. Early in the second half, in the 46th minute, 19-year-old Bekhruz Karimov doubled the advantage after a pass from Dostonbek Khamdamov — that goal was his first for the national team.

The turnaround after Karpin's substitutions

Until the 70th minute Uzbekistan kept a comfortable scoreline, but then the game changed sharply. In the 66th minute Russia head coach Valery Karpin brought on Nikolay Komlichenko and Alexey Miranchuk — and both later scored. Komlichenko reduced the deficit in the 70th minute after a pass from Kirill Danilov, in the 75th completed his brace and equalized, and in the 79th Miranchuk, after a low cross from Danil Krugovoy, scored the winning goal. Thus, in nine minutes the Russians turned a 0:2 defeat into a 3:2 victory. In the remaining time, including five added minutes, the Uzbekistan side failed to equalize.

Statistics and coaches' reactions

According to Flashscore, Russia outperformed the hosts in most attacking metrics: 19 shots to 12 (7 on target to 5), possession 55% to 45%, four clear goalscoring chances to one, touches in the box — 32 to 14. The expected goals (xG) figure was 2.30 for Russia against 0.65 for Uzbekistan. After the match, speaking on Okko, Karpin admitted he was satisfied only with the second half: 'Personally, I have more negatives: what we saw in the first half is not at all what we would like. We talked at half-time, added intensity and energy — and everything fell into place.' The match was officiated by referee Sadullo Gulmurodi from Tajikistan; the Uzbekistan team was prepared by Fabio Cannavaro.

Context and upcoming matches

This was only the second meeting between the two teams: the first, on 20 November 2022, also in Tashkent, ended in a goalless draw. In 2026 Uzbekistan will play in the final stage of the World Cup for the first time in history, while Russia has been suspended from tournaments under the auspices of FIFA and UEFA since 2022 and plays only friendly matches. Uzbekistan's next friendly will take place on 17 November in Doha against Saudi Arabia; the Russians will play Venezuela in Krasnodar the same day.