What did Uzbekistan U-17 head coach say after yesterday’s victory?

In an important match for qualification to the U-17 Asian Cup, the Uzbekistan youth national team confidently defeated the UAE with a score of 3:0. After the match, head coach Islam Ismoilov shared his thoughts.

“First of all, I congratulate all Uzbeks on the victory. But I wouldn't call this an easy game. The UAE is also one of the strong teams in Asia in this age category,” the coach said.

High pressing and strong start – the result showed itself
Islam Ismoilov spoke about the team’s pre-match plan:

“When we analyzed the UAE, we noticed they had problems starting attacks. So in the first half, we played with high pressing and tried to act more on the opponent’s half. The main goal was to score more goals in the first half, and I think the players did well. We didn’t give the opponent any chance to build an attack, and we ourselves created many goal-scoring opportunities.”

Decline in the second half – mistakes typical of youth
The coach spoke openly about the second half of the match:

“After the 3:0 score, maybe due to youth, my players seemed to think the game was already over. So a certain decline was seen in the second half. This is one of the areas we still need to work on. We also made some rotations in the lineup, keeping the next match in mind.”

The tournament is a test, the players are under responsibility
Ismoilov emphasized the difficulty of the tournament and the importance of monitoring players’ conditions:

“This tournament is not going easily. Managing players properly and sending them onto the field at the right time is very important. We are thoroughly checking the condition of our boys before each match.”

The Uzbekistan U-17 team is delighting fans with a strong start, high discipline, and attacking football. But as the coach mentioned, consistency is the key to major success. We hope our boys continue playing at this high level in the upcoming matches. Read 'Zamin' on Telegram!