Timur Kapadze: "Now our people can eat ice cream without any problems!"

The head coach of the Uzbek national team, Timur Kapadze, shared his feelings and impressions after the match against the UAE.

— Thank God a thousand times, we have achieved an important result after a long and difficult journey. A lot of work was done for this result, I sincerely congratulate our people and our President. This is not only our victory, but the victory of our entire people. Our phones have been ringing since yesterday, our fans and relatives have expressed their constant support and prayers for us. This support and prayers gave us great enthusiasm and strength. Our players showed determination in every match, worked with all their might, and we achieved the result. May this day be blessed for all of us! Before, we would have lacked a little, especially our desire to "eat ice cream". Now we have reached the World Cup and our people can eat ice cream without any problems.

— Do you think the pressure was greater when you went to the Olympics or today?
— The Olympic team is one level lower than the national team. But the pressure was also great at that time. But the national team is the main team of the country, so the level of responsibility is also high.

— Wasn't it a big risk to take on the national team in such a difficult situation?
— With everything at stake, this day was also given to me. I am grateful for this a thousand times. Even when we received a ticket to the Olympics, I did not deviate from my path, from my views.

— Now the game with Qatar in Tashkent will probably become a big celebration?
— Of course, we will prepare adequately for this game.

— Do you plan to give opportunities to players who have rarely played on the field until now?
— We will think about it, we will look at the general mood and spirit of the team. It is difficult to give a definite answer now. Because the emotions among the players are very high at the moment, which may interfere with a correct assessment of the situation. We will think about it better in a day or two and make a decision.

— How much of your personal responsibility do you think has been relieved now?
— We overcame a lot of pressure. Before the game, fans, sports websites and experts expressed their confidence in our team's victory and expected a good result from us. This confidence also became a great responsibility and pressure for us. But we managed to overcome this pressure and complete the task.