In the quarter-final stage of the U-23 Asian Cup, the Uzbekistan youth national team lost to China in a penalty shootout and bid farewell to the competition. No goals were scored in the main and extra time, while luck favored the opponent in the dramatic decisive shots. Following the match, the team's head coach, Ravshan Haydarov, participated in a press conference and openly commented on the game and the result.
The specialist noted that the match lasted 120 minutes and was largely under the control of Uzbekistan. The men tried to dominate in midfield, held possession, and created several dangerous chances. But the main problem was felt in the attacking line - there was a lack of final decisions and creative solutions that could score goals.
"If we look at today's game as a whole, we controlled a lot. There were opportunities, but there wasn't enough creativity in the attack. "Therefore, we were unable to open the account," Khaydarov said.
Ravshan Khaydarov also noted that the Chinese team acted tactically as expected. According to him, the opponent defended in an orderly and organized manner and managed to implement his plan to lead the game to penalties. "Penalties are a lottery. This time, luck wasn't on our side," said the coach.
Nevertheless, Khaydarov emphasized that he has no objections to the players. He said that the guys learned enough lessons and gained experience in this tournament, felt responsibility on the field, and fought until the end. At the same time, he apologized to the fans and didn't hide the pain that he couldn't live up to the hopes of reliable supporters who had expected victory from the team.
"For me, we have nothing to be ashamed of about the game. We were better in open play, statistics, and moves. "Only penalties were unsuccessful," he said.
At the press conference, the coach also addressed the issue of reserves. According to him, additional options that strengthen the attacking line were insufficient today. It was reported that Fomin managed to create two chances, but failed to convert them into goals. Khaydarov noted that he "put on the field 11 strongest players," but it was painful that a goal was not scored against the backdrop of a total advantage.
Speaking about the opponent, the coach noted that the main strength of China is discipline and teamwork. He declined to comment on the shortcomings and said that Vietnamese coaches could analyze such points in the next stage.
Haydarov also praised the Chinese goalkeeper. He emphasized that he played confidently not only in this match but also in previous matches, and that such a goalkeeper could have a bright future.
In short, the youth of Uzbekistan worked hard on the field, they seemed superior in many aspects of the game, but the bitter truth of football knocked on the door once again: if you don't score a goal - the result won't spoil you. Now the main task is one - to turn this experience into the right conclusion and bring attacking creativity to a new level.
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