The Russian national football team secured a 3-2 comeback victory against Uzbekistan in a friendly match held in Tashkent at the Pakhtakor Stadium.
Trailing by two goals early in the match, Russia recovered in the second half to overtake the hosts, according to a report by NUR.KZ.
The match began with early defensive difficulties for the visitors. An own goal by Russian defender Viktor Melekhin in the 5th minute gave Uzbekistan an early lead, which was extended by a goal from defender Bekhruzjon Karimov in the 46th minute. Despite the deficit, Russia intensified its pressure throughout the second half to turn the result around.
Forward Nikolay Komlichenko led the Russian response, scoring two goals in the 70th and 75th minutes to level the score. Midfielder Aleksei Miranchuk then secured the win by netting the decisive goal in the 79th minute.
Following the match, Russian coach Valery Karpin attributed the turnaround to improvements in concentration and intensity, stating that the team simply executed what they should have performed in the first half, as reported by Sports.ru.
Uzbekistan’s performance drew post-match reflection from their staff. “Sometimes football is lousy. Uzbekistan played well, the problem is that we thought about the victory, but you need to be turned on for 98 minutes,” said Fabio Cannavaro, as noted in reports from Sports.ru. The Russian team remains barred from official FIFA and UEFA competitions, continuing to rely on friendly fixtures to maintain match fitness.
Both teams are scheduled to return to international action on November 17. The Uzbekistan national team will travel to Doha to face Saudi Arabia in their next friendly encounter. On the same day, the Russian squad is set to host Venezuela in a friendly match in Krasnodar.
Reflecting on the match, goalkeeper Matvey Safonov said that while Uzbekistan started the game with strong momentum, Russia struggled with physical challenges in the first half. Safonov added that the team entered the second half with different energy, allowing them to overcome the deficit, according to Sports.ru.
Midfielder Ivan Oblyakov observed that while the team conceded from a corner and experienced defensive confusion on the second goal, the overall flow of the game remained under Russian control.
Coach Karpin highlighted the development of Aleksey Batrakov, remarking that the player has matured and displayed a “mature footballer’s gaze” during the contest. The Russian team continues its preparation schedule as it remains excluded from major tournament qualification cycles.
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