"We won’t hold back — we’ll fight for victory" – Islam Ismoilov on the win over China

After Uzbekistan's crucial victory over China in the second round of the AFC U-17 Asian Cup, head coach Islam Ismoilov shared his thoughts on the match:

“Thanks for the congratulations. But we haven't officially qualified yet. We're waiting for the result of the match between Saudi Arabia and Thailand. Most likely, we've made it through,” the coach said.

He emphasized that China was one of the teams Uzbekistan had to beat.

“To reduce pressure on the players, we had open conversations with them for three days straight. The goal of qualifying for the World Cup naturally brings emotions. We're happy we lived up to the expectations of the fans and the management.”

Turning point came in the second half

Although Uzbekistan conceded in the first half due to a counterattack, the team bounced back after a motivating halftime talk.

“We told the players they were playing well, and just needed to lift their spirit. We had analyzed that China tends to tire after the 60th minute — and that’s exactly what happened. We took our chances.”

“Next match — only victory in mind”

Ismoilov also made it clear that the team isn’t going to slow down:

“We don’t plan to conserve energy. We’ll fight for the win in the next match as well,” he said confidently.

Uzbekistan’s U-17 team continues their strong push toward their main goal — qualifying for the World Cup! Follow “Zamin” news on “Telegram”