Painful Defeat to Portugal and Harsh Criticism of Cannavaro

Unfortunately, our participation in the World Cup did not start as we expected. The heavy (0:5) defeat against Portugal in the 2nd round of Group K has left not only the fans but also industry experts deeply concerned. After two consecutive losses, the pupils of Italian head coach Fabio Cannavaro have fallen to the bottom of the tournament table. Now, our representatives face a do-or-die battle against DR Congo.

Meanwhile, the former director of the national teams department of the Uzbekistan Football Association (UFA), Azizbek Haydarov expressed very sharp and open views on the game. His criticism was aimed not only at the crude mistakes made by the players but also at the head coach's tactics and his suitability for the team.

«Instead of winning the ball, our defenders were busy posing for photos»

According to Azizbek Haydarov, the fate of the match was decided by confusing individual errors at the start of the game. In particular, the situations leading to the first and second goals caused strong objections from the former official:

«We gave this game away. To be honest, I didn't understand at all what Fabio Cannavaro was trying to achieve. In the situation where the first goal was conceded, our defenders were not busy defending or winning the ball, but posing for photos or doing whatever else they wanted. Conceding such goals at a World Cup is absolutely unacceptable.»

The expert also harshly criticized the actions of one of the national team's leaders, Abbosbek Fayzullaev:

«In the second situation, Abbosbek Fayzullaev shied away from the ball. I don't understand why he did that. As far as I know, no one has ever died from being hit by a football. In a tournament of this level, you must fight until the end in every situation.»

Haydarov noted that strong opponents like Portugal never forgive such gifts. After the quick goals, the team broke down mentally and could not get back into the game, resulting in three more goals conceded.

Are the millions paid to Cannavaro justifying themselves?

The biggest shadow of the defeat, naturally, falls on head coach Fabio Cannavaro. Haydarov openly questioned the idea of bringing in an expensive foreign specialist and proposed the option of local coaches:

• Mental breakdown: After the first goal, the team lost confidence and there was no way to correct the game. At this level, maximum concentration is required from the 1st minute to the final second.

• A matter of mentality: Instead of an expensive foreign coach, it would have been more beneficial to trust local specialists who know our internal environment, the players' character, and Uzbek football from the inside.

«To be honest, I don't understand why Fabio Cannavaro was offered the Uzbekistan national team. What is the point of paying him so much? For this amount, the team could have been handed over to our own specialists who know our football, our players, and our mentality well.»

What happens now?

No matter how dire the situation, the opportunity is not yet completely lost. Ahead of us is the final and most crucial decisive match in the group against DR Congo. To keep hopes of a play-off spot alive, our representatives must take the field fighting only for victory in this match.

As fans, we hope that the right conclusions are drawn from the mistakes and that the boys show real character in the next match!