The head coach of the Uzbekistan national football team, Srečko Katanec, has commented on his team's victory over Hong Kong in the third round of the World Cup 2026 qualifiers.
"I thank the team for today's game. In the first half, we created many chances but couldn't score. However, in the second half, we played more aggressively in the opponent's penalty area, increased the number of chances, and managed to score two goals. The opponent's goalkeeper showed a good game and saved several dangerous shots. I am satisfied with today's game; we showed a good performance," said the 60-year-old specialist.
Forward Eldor Shomurodov stated that Uzbekistan controlled the game throughout the match.
"There were difficulties in scoring a goal, but everyone was confident that we would score and secure three points. And we achieved the desired result," he said.
The team captain also pointed out the poor quality of the pitch. "We noticed that Turkmenistan hosted other teams on a natural grass pitch before, but they chose an artificial turf for the game against us. Hong Kong also hosted teams on a higher-quality pitch, but they chose a field with much worse quality for our match. I think the AFC (Asian Football Confederation) should set some standards because players can easily get injured on such pitches. I believe we need to be protected from this," he said.
Srečko Katanec highlighted that his team showed one of their best games. He mentioned that in the upcoming matches, the team will continue to fight for victory.
The head coach also expressed his thoughts on the pitch. "The pitch turned out to be smaller in size. Players should not have to worry about the pitch; the rules should be the same for everyone. Why does Iran play against Hong Kong on a normal pitch, and we don't? This needs to be seriously considered. It creates problems for the players. You start the game, but due to the smaller field size, you may not be able to execute the planned strategy. However, despite this, we played very well and managed to secure a victory," he stated.
With 7 points, the Uzbekistan national team is in second place in Group E, behind Iran (7) due to a better goal difference. Hong Kong (1) and Turkmenistan (1) are in third and fourth places respectively.
