Rustam Ashurmatov: Hard to digest conceding five goals

Uzbekistan national team defender Rustam Ashurmatov shared his thoughts after the match against Portugal in the second round of the 2026 World Cup group stage.

The "White Wolves" lost the match 0-5. Ashurmatov noted that facing a team as strong as Portugal provides great experience regardless of the result. However, for the defender, accepting five conceded goals is not easy.

"Whether we win or lose, playing against Portugal is a great experience in any case. But conceding five goals is too many. As a defender, it is hard to digest," said Ashurmatov.

The player reminded that the team has not yet played its final group stage match and stated the need to quickly forget the defeat to Portugal and focus on the upcoming clash.

"We still have our third game. We must try to forget this defeat," he added.

Ashurmatov admitted that the national team conceded too many goals in the first two rounds. In his opinion, errors made in the defensive line were one of the main factors.

"We conceded too many goals in the first two matches. This was mostly the defenders' fault," the player said.

Despite this, the defender expressed hope that the team's chance to advance remains and that they will achieve victory in the final match.

"We hope that an opportunity remains in the third match and that we win the next game," Ashurmatov emphasized.

The player also commented on Aziz Ganiyev's disallowed goal. He stated that whether there was a foul in that situation was debatable.

"I think the foul on Ganiyev's goal was 50-50. If the referee had counted the goal, the Portuguese would not have protested much," he said.

The Uzbekistan national team will now face the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the final round of the group stage. The "White Wolves" will fight to secure their first victory at the World Cup.