Uzbekistan youth team midfielder Asilbek Jumayev shared his thoughts ahead of the U-23 Asian Cup quarter-final match against China. First of all, the player noted the important victory (2:0) over South Korea in the group stage as a joyful result for the whole country.
"I congratulate all the people of Uzbekistan on the victory over South Korea (2:0)," Jumayev said. According to him, this result in the group added both mental strength and confidence to the team.
And now the next serious challenge lies ahead - China. Jumayev knows his opponent well: the two teams have often clashed in previous tournaments as well. Therefore, he emphasized the need to prepare for this game not relying on "coincidence" or "luck," but fully following the coaches' instructions.
"Our next opponent is China. We have played with them in previous tournaments as well. Following the coaches' advice, we will enter the field for victory," he said in an interview with the UFA media.
Most importantly, the midfielder's goal is clear and firm: the team doesn't want to limit itself to just the quarter-finals. According to Jumayev, Uzbekistan's main goal in this competition is to reach the highest peak.
"Our goal is the final. We want to reach the final and take the trophy with us," the footballer added confidently.
As a reminder, the Uzbekistan U-23 team (mostly composed of players around 21 years old) played the group stage very confidently: the team scored 7 points and took 1st place in their group. Ravshan Haydarov's team's quarter-final match against China will take place on January 17th.
In short, the mood is clear: we need the end of the road, not half. Now it remains to turn this faith into a result on the field - and that's exactly what the fans are waiting for.
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