Vietnam's Nguyen Cong Phuong, right, vies for the ball with Uzbekistan's Azizjon Ganiev during their AFC U23 Championship final. (AFP photo)CHANGZHOU, China: Substitute Andrey Sidorov struck in the final minute of extra-time to help Uzbekistan seal the AFC U23 Championship title with a narrow 2-1 win over Vietnam on Saturday. Uzbekistan continued to press after the breakthrough, as both a Javokhir Sidikov header and Khamdamov's effort from 20 yards forced Vietnam goalkeeper Bui Tien Dung into smart saves. Moments later, Tien Dung, the hero of Vietnam's semi-final win over Iraq, reacted well to deny Sidikov from six yards, before Uzbekistan captain Zabikhillo Urinboev fizzed a shot wide of the left-hand upright on 70 minutes. The same Vietnamese team also beat Thailand in the third-place play-off in a warm-up tournament in Buri Ram last month.

Source: Bangkok Post January 27, 2018 22:30 UTC