TEHRAN – Iran U23 football coach Farhad Majidi says that the friendly match against Uzbekistan helped them to identify their weak spots.

Iran suffered a 1-0 loss to Uzbekistan Friday night at the Metallurg Stadium in Olmaliq.

Majidi’s boys will meet Uzbekistan once again on Monday.

“Two teams showed a good football. In the first half, two teams were in the same level. Our players made many mistakes in the second half and we conceded a goal. I hope we will have a better performance in the next match,” Majidi said.

“The warm-up matches are the best opportunity for us to identify our weak spots. Uzbekistan are a physically really good team. This match was very important for us because we fielded our substitutes to know them well,” he added.  

Iran prepare for the 2020 AFC U23 Championship Thailand.

The competition will be held in Thailand from Jan. 8 to 26.

The top three teams qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in July, although should Japan emerge as one of them, the fourth-placed side will advance.

Iran, a powerhouse of the Asian football, have not been in the Olympics since the 1976 games in Munich.