The United Arab Emirates beat Uzbekistan 2-1 to bag the AFC Youth Championship Cup at Prince Mohammed Bin Fahd Stadium in Dammam on Friday. Ahmed Khalil was the hero of the match as he scored both the goals for UAE while Uzbekistan's only goal came from Kenja Turaev. Prince Sultan Bin Fahd, Chairman of the General Presidency of Youth Welfare, handed the tournament's trophy and medals. The title is the first for UAE after several attempts to reach the final stage of the championship. Ahmed Khalil was also crowned as the top scorer of the championship with four goals while Karimov Sherzodbek of Uzbekistan was adjudged as the best player. The UAE, Uzbekistan, Australia and South Korea had earlier booked their places in the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Egypt after they advanced to the semifinals of the competition. Uzbeks had the first real chance in the match after two minutes when Murod Khalmuhamedov sent a long free kick that was denied by UAE goalkeeper Yousif Abdul Rahman. In the 33rd minute, Ahmed Khalil put UAE ahead as he converted a free kick from about 25 yards to left side of Uzbekistan goalkeeper Doniyorjon Usmonov. After the break, UAE tightened the defense and depended on counter-attacks. In the 64th minute, Uzbekistan equalized as Kenja Turaev completed his teammate Sherzod Azamov's header to the net of Yousif Abdul Rahman. The dreams of the Uzbekistan didn't last as Ahmed Khalil regained the lead for UAE after eight minutes. Host Saudi Arabia was eliminated in the quarterfinal after a 1-0 defeat to the eventual champion UAE. __
