Uzbekistan defender: ‘Vietnam is more difficult to play than Malaysia’

Uzbekistan won all three group stage matches against Malaysia 2-0, Kuwait 5-0 and Vietnam 3-0. They scored 10 goals, conceded no goals, finished 69 times in total, and only allowed their opponents to shoot towards the goal once. The only team that forced Uzbekistan’s goalkeeper to save in the group stage was Vietnam, in the match on the evening of April 23.

“This match is good,” Yuldoshev said. “Vietnam tried to defend and counter-attack. They played better than Malaysia and Kuwait, because they were able to handle the ball quickly. But we took advantage and controlled the ball better. We want to win every match. , did not choose any opponent”.

Coach Timur Kapadze is also proud of his students’ performance on Khalifa International Stadium. “Our strategy worked well against Vietnam,” Uzbekistan coach said. “The team almost did not give the opponent any chance to attack. However, Uzbekistan’s next matches will be much more difficult than the group stage.”

In the first two matches, Uzbekistan only allowed their opponents to finish twice. Vietnam created seven opportunities, including Nguyen Minh Quang’s shot from a narrow, open angle in the first half, after he stole the ball from the Uzbekistan defender. Hoang Anh Tuan’s army also conceded three goals in the first half. But after replacing four official players at the beginning of the second half, the team played better and kept a clean sheet.

Uzbekistan topped Group D, but had to meet defending champion Saudi Arabia in the quarterfinals. However, Coach Kapadze said that no matter what opponent they meet, Uzbekistan will try to accomplish their goal, which is to win the championship and win a spot at the Paris Olympics.

Vietnam continues with second place in Group D, after winning Kuwait 3-1, Malaysia 2-0. Hoang Anh Tuan and his team will meet Iraq in the quarterfinals, exactly like in 2018. At that time, Park Hang-seo and his team drew 3-3 in 120 minutes, then won 5-3 in the penalty shootout.

The remaining two pairs in the quarterfinals are Qatar – Japan and Korea – Indonesia. If Vietnam, Uzbekistan, Qatar and South Korea all reach the semi-finals, the 2018 scenario will repeat. At that time, Vietnam defeated Qatar on penalties, and Uzbekistan beat Korea 4-1 in extra time. If that is repeated in Qatar this time, Vietnam and Uzbekistan will both win spots at the Olympics.

Hoang An