Koloskov identifies main problem in Uzbekistan's match against Portugal

Vyacheslav Koloskov, honorary president of the Russian Football Union, analyzed the Uzbekistan national team's match against Portugal in the group stage of the 2026 World Cup.

Uzbekistan lost that match 0-5. According to Koloskov, the national team showed two different faces in the tournament.

"Uzbekistan showed two different types of play at the World Cup. In the match against Colombia, the team performed decently, and some aspects were good. But in the match with Portugal, the team completely fell apart," he said.

The expert noted that the main problem was the players' lack of knowledge on how to act against a strong opponent. He suggested that head coach Fabio Cannavaro might not have paid enough attention to tactical preparation.

"I got the impression that Cannavaro did not work enough on tactics. The team first tried to defend deep with five defenders, but it didn't work. Then they switched to pressing, but the situation only worsened," Koloskov said.

At the same time, he gave a positive assessment of the physical and technical preparation of the Uzbekistan players.

"The team is not poorly prepared physically and technically. Uzbekistan is an average-level national team for the World Cup. In my opinion, tactics were the decisive factor in this game," the expert added.

Koloskov also separately praised Portugal's performance. According to him, the Europeans played at a high level and gave Uzbekistan a real masterclass.

"Of course, Portugal also played very strongly and demonstrated their high level," he said.

Thus, the expert pointed to tactical errors and an ineffective game plan as the main reasons for Uzbekistan's heavy defeat.