TEHRAN – Iran U23 football team suffered two losses against Uzbekistan in friendly matches.

The Iranian team, who are headed by Farhad Majidi, lost to Uzbekistan 1-0 on Friday and were pummeled by the Asian rivals 4-1 once again on Monday.

“We made many mistakes in the match against Uzbekistan and gave them many possession. We could equalize the match in the second half when putting them under pressure but conceded two more goals on counter attack,” Iran assistant coach Omid Namazi said.

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.