Eldor Shomurodov was the star of the match as Uzbekistan lifted the Navruz Cup after thumping Uganda Cranes 4-2 in a final staged at the Markaziy Stadion on Tuesday evening.Heading to the Cup final Uzbekistan has defeated Kyrgyzstan 3-1 in the semis while Uganda saw off Tajikistan via post-match penalties after the two teams had played out to a one-all draw in regulation time.The hosts started the final strongly with clear intentions of going ahead in the opening minutes of the game. They were however kept at bay in the opening phase of the game by resolute defending by the East African Nation.The persistent pressure saw Uganda Cranes crack in the 35th minute when Jaloliddin Masharipov gave the hosts the lead. Four minutes later, AS Roma forward, Eldor Shomurodov doubled the hosts lead for a comfortable halftime advantage.85′ Uzbekistan 🇺🇿 4️⃣-2️⃣ 🇺🇬 Uganda Miya 52′ Okwi 77′ pic.twitter.com/KAD6K6IKVX— Uganda Cranes (@UgandaCranes) March 29, 2022 Second minutes into the second half, Ukraine-based striker Farouk Miya pulled one back for Micho’s men to give them hope of a comeback. The smiles on Uganda Cranes’ players if any was however quickly wiped when Eldor got his second and Uzbekistan’s third of the game in the 54th minute. The Roma forward was proving to be a thorn in Cranes’ flesh as he grabbed his third of the game in the 72nd minute.Cranes captain, Emmanuel Okwi then scored his side’s second of the game in the 79th minute but it proved to be just a consolation goal. Uganda are readying themselves for CHAN 2023 and AFCON qualifiers.In the third position playoff, Tajikistan defeated Kyrgyzstan 1-0.
