The coach guided the Asians – defeated 3-1 by Colombia – in their first match at a World Cup: “We came close to a draw. Now we will play the next matches with greater calm”
Don’t let the score fool you. If you haven’t seen the match, know that Fabio Cannavaro’s Uzbekistan complicated Colombia’s debut and conceded very little to their opponents. The two-goal difference is an excessive deficit, both because the third goal came in the 99th minute and because the South American team only shot Yusupov’s target five times. Obviously Colombia controlled the game, but the Asians interpreted the game well by defending with five in the non-possession phase and keeping the lines tight. The errors of some Uzbeks and the plays of Luis Diaz made the difference, but Cannavaro received positive responses from his players, as he said immediately after the match.
Fabio, are you satisfied with your World Cup debut despite the defeat?
“Yes. Since I started coaching this team I have only thought about working in the best way to arrive prepared for this match. Uzbekistan is a national team with good qualities and before the match I only told the boys to stay in the game because it is not easy to face Colombia. If we had lost our distance in the first minutes, everything would have been complicated. But the team understood when it had to suffer and when it could be more daring.”
What is the lesson you learned at Azteca?
“At this level, if you make a mistake, you pay immediately. And if you make a bit too much of a mistake, you lose. At the World Cup, mistakes are not forgiven. For example, we played too much through the middle, which I asked not to do because Colombia loves to restart quickly after having won the ball back. The first two goals came like this. In the first case we were also lazy, losing the marks and not following the opponent. With the substitutions I tried to change something, to keep the team alive and in search of an equalizer and we even went there neighbors”.
What did you say to the team as soon as they returned to the locker room?
“I told the boys that I am very proud of the game, the commitment, the character. This was a delicate match because it would have made us understand our role at the World Cup. The debut was good and now we will play with greater calm against Portugal and the Democratic Republic of Congo: opponents against whom we want to grow a little more. Against Colombia we were good, but not perfect.”
The environment was not easy. At the Azteca there were almost only Colombian fans. Have you suffered this situation?
“It was as if we were in Colombia, not Mexico. But playing here is a wonderful thing that you carry with you for life. We will all remember this evening forever. But I happened to win in similar situations, with all the fans against me, the European semi-final against the Netherlands in 2000 and the World Cup against Germany in 2006. However, they are experiences that make you grow and give you motivation.”
Playing at Azteca was a wonderful thing, which you carry with you for life. We will all remember this evening forever
Has Uzbekistan shown that it can compete in the World Cup?
“Definitely. At half-time I invited the boys not to be afraid when we had the ball and in the second half we were more courageous. From a tactical point of view we were good, then the difference was made, as often happens, by the quality of the players.”
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