Reigning Asian champions Uzbekistan started their second appearance at the Fifa U-17 World Cup with a strong showing against Panama in Fujairah, beating the Central Americans 2-0 on Friday.
.
Panama coach Jorge Dely Valdes was visibly disappointed with his side after the opening loss and expected more from the group that stormed their way to the final of the CONCACAF U-17 championship.
.
The first half was a relatively innocuous affair, with few chances for either side as both teams looked to settle the nerves experienced during the first minutes of any international competition. Uzbekistan came to life 22 minutes in when Jamshid Boltaboev fired a powerful right-footed shot from outside the box, but his effort sailed over the crossbar.
.
And one minute later Dilshod Nuraliev's men put forth another good effort, this time coming from a good string of possession that ended with Izzatilla Abdullaev shooting from outside the box and kissing the left post.
I'm rooting for The Golden Eaglets to win the competition. They've done very well so far!