What did Fabio Cannavaro say at the post-match press conference after the game against Russia?

12 November 2026, 23:292 min read10

Following the friendly match against the Russian national team, which ended in an incredibly dramatic 2-3 defeat, Uzbekistan national team head coach Fabio Cannavaro participated in a press conference. The renowned expert spoke openly about the errors in the game, the loss of the lead, and the team's shortcomings.

«Football is not just about a beautiful game»

Addressing the fact that our representatives were leading 2-0 but ended up losing, Cannavaro noted that the team allowed the tempo of the game to drop.

«If a team plays with high pressing, the central defenders must also act in the same way. Our main defensive error is occurring primarily in set-piece situations inside the penalty area. Overall, we played a good game. When we were leading 2-0, we lowered the tempo a bit. You have to play football until the referee blows the final whistle. Football is that cruel. You can lose even with a good performance», — said the head coach.

Main topics of the press conference	Coach's thoughts and conclusions
Main error	The drop in tempo and stagnation after the 2-0 lead
Defensive problems	Shortcomings in set-piece situations and errors in long passes
Experience issue	Lack of experience in controlling the game against strong opponents
Cluster and system	Possibility of returning to a 3-central defender scheme in the future

«The problem is not the system, but the lack of experience»

Responding to journalists' questions about tactical changes in the defensive line and a return to the 3-4-3 scheme, the Italian expert pointed out that the reason for the defeat was not just the scheme.

«Of course, you can play with 3 defenders in the last 10 minutes. But the problem is not the system. Here, we lacked experience and could not control the match. We made many mistakes with long passes», — said Cannavaro.

He also added that in matches against such strong opponents, one must first show their personality and play football on the field without fear. The head coach announced that he would analyze the game deeply once more and draw the necessary conclusions.

In your opinion, what should our national team, led by Fabio Cannavaro, change to avoid repeating such mistakes in future official matches? Leave your thoughts in the comments!