AFC Asian Cup 2019, Australia vs. Uzbekistan: 3 Reasons why the Socceroos won in penalty shootouts

#2 A well-organised Uzbekistan defensive setup

The Uzbekistan players gave a very good account of themselves in the defense

Australia controlled the pace of the game as they had 60.7% possession and a staggering 79.3% passing accuracy in the opponent's half.

However, if one watched the game, they would resonate with the fact that most of Australia's passes were in the defensive third as they struggled to pierce the tightly organized Uzbekistan setup.

Most of Australia's shot on target were from outside the box which the goalkeeper Ignatiy Nesterov saved acrobatically. Uzbekistan also had a 70.6% tackle success rate which illustrates how strong they were on the back.

At the time, they even shifted to a back five or back six and the Socceroos were forced to lob wayward crosses in frustration.

Around 62% of the action was restricted on the center of the pitch despite Australia dominating the possession.

Hector Cuper's side's sojourn might have ended in the Asian Cup but his boys can be proud of themselves that they held the mighty Australia to a goalless stalemate for 120 minutes.