Uzbekistan national team striker Igor Sergeev, who scored a goal in the 2-1 victory against Turkmenistan in the second round of the CAFA Nations Cup, shared his thoughts after the match.
- Thank God, we have achieved an important victory. Overall, we started the game well. Of course, there were minor mistakes and shortcomings, but in the first half we controlled the game, opened the scoring, and then scored the second goal. But with the start of the second half, the situation became more difficult. Our red card made things worse, especially since the opponent earned a penalty. Despite this, the guys spared no effort and managed to save the result. I thank them. Now the most important thing is recovery and preparation for the next game," Sergeev said.
According to him, after a brace, he scored more goals than the famous footballers in the history of the national team - Igor Shkvirin and Odil Akhmedov, but his personal record is not his main goal.
- Personal statistics don't come first for me. Of course, every striker wants to score, but the national team's result is important here. If necessary, I prefer to pass to my teammate before scoring. "Because the main task is the interests of the team," he added.
Sergeev also commented on the situation in the tournament table:
- So far, all indicators are the same. We also won 2:1, and Oman achieved the same result. Therefore, the decisive match will be against Kyrgyzstan. We will try not only to win, but also to score more goals. We have opportunities for first place.
When journalists mentioned a resounding 4-0 victory over Turkmenistan at the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, Sergeev responded:
- Football doesn't always give the same result. This time too, we took the lead 2-0 in the first half, but a red card changed the situation. If it weren't for him, perhaps the score would have been higher. But the main thing is victory. There are many new players in the team who haven't fully adapted to each other yet. Therefore, in such games, struggle and willpower are of primary importance.
Thus, the national team striker once again emphasized in his statement that he prioritizes team victory over personal results.
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