Abduraimov: "I liked the game, the most important thing for us is the result"

You are well aware that the final qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup is being held in connection with FIFA days.

Our national team defeated Kyrgyzstan 1:0 on March 20. On March 25, a central clash against Iran awaits in Tehran. Our national team, together with Iran, is getting closer and closer to the World Cup. If our representatives win three points in Tehran, Uzbekistan will secure a place in the World Cup ahead of schedule. Therefore, on the evening of March 25, we will witness a very important match and, of course, we wish our representatives good luck.

One of the famous football experts Jasur Abduraimov answered a number of questions about the match against Kyrgyzstan and the upcoming match with Iran.

- Jasur aka, our national team won 3 points in the match against Kyrgyzstan, as expected, but we did not take advantage of many opportunities. What is your opinion about this match?
- First of all, we won three points. This is a very good result. We are closer to qualifying for the World Cup. The game was such that the opponent played on the counterattack. We had many scoring opportunities.

- Do you think that the red card of the opponent's player was beneficial or detrimental to us?
- Of course, it affects. The red card of the opponent's player was also good for us. The difficult thing for our national team was that they defended as a whole team. Despite this, our players created many very good scoring opportunities. I liked the game.

- Masharipov will not be able to help our team in the next round against Iran. Is this a big loss for us?
- I think Masharipov is a big loss. Because he is our leading player. Let's see who will play instead of him?

- Who did you like the most in our national team?
- As I said, I liked the team's game. In the middle, guys like Otabek Shukurov, Odil Khamrobekov, Jaloliddin Masharipov, Abbos Fayzullaev, Eldor Shomurodov also played great. These are leaders and they need to show themselves. Hodzhiakbar Alijanov scored an important goal. He trained under me when he was young. I was happy that he scored.

- In general, what do you expect from the match in Tehran?
- The game will be fierce. There must be an attacker and balance: both in defense and in the forward line. If the team plays well, the results will come.

- Timur Kapadze continues the work after Srechko Katanec. Do you notice a change in the team's play? What is the difference between Katanec and Kapadze?
- Right now, there is definitely no difference. Both Katanec and Kapadze have the same task. At the same time, it is important to show results. Especially since this is a national team, the most important thing is the result. If the game is great, the results will come. Follow “Zamin” news on “Telegram”