On June 28, Beijing time (note: this appears to be a timezone error in the original), after Uzbekistan's 1-3 defeat to DR Congo, head coach Fabio Cannavaro gave an interview.

Could you briefly comment on today's match?

In the first half, we expended a lot of energy. Modern football demands maintaining high intensity for the full 90 minutes, which is of course challenging. Since we arrived here, we've been working on improving our players' physical conditioning. Until today, our fitness levels and overall game intensity have been good.

Today was no exception; we started well and executed our pre-match plan. The opposition also fought hard, trying to score first one goal, then a second. But the problem is that we began to falter.

I told the players that if we can't control possession—there were moments in the first half where we had three-on-one or five-on-three situations but chose to shoot from distance—it becomes very difficult because you waste energy and lose confidence.

And the opposition is a very strong, physically powerful team. In the second half, after our first mistake, we conceded a penalty. Nevertheless, I'm still satisfied because the team showed what we're capable of. That's very important to me. Of course, conceding three goals is too many. I wouldn't feel good even with a draw, let alone a three-goal defeat. I feel for the players because they deserved a better result.

Can you summarize the team's performance throughout the tournament, not just this match? Can this team do more, or as debutants, should we not have such high expectations?

I think we need to learn to maintain a more balanced performance during a match. Sometimes we start well, but the second half changes completely—for example, in the matches against Colombia and Portugal, the difference was very evident. Today was the same; the intensity in the first half was good, giving Congo no chances.

But in the second half we encountered problems, and the team stopped working together. I think the biggest mistake wasn't the individual errors themselves, but that we stopped trying to play football. I know it's difficult, but we must keep playing; otherwise we just hoof the ball and become exhausted. When you get possession back, you're already very tired and can't make better decisions. It's a matter of experience. I hope this FIFA World Cup will provide us and the players with valuable experience. We knew from the start that this is a process of gaining experience, and I hope that experience will motivate the team in the future.

On Responsibility and Pressure as a Coach

I feel bad because I hate losing. But I will never blame my players. I said long ago that this draw was "cruel" for us.

If anyone thinks we should easily beat Congo or dominate Colombia, that's unrealistic. Sometimes we make mistakes. The level of a FIFA World Cup is such that even coaches who have won three World Cups would find it difficult. The players gave everything, and they're also very upset in the dressing room, but they really tried their best. I'm proud of them.

From our first day here, we knew this would be a difficult FIFA World Cup. It's a learning process, a process of gaining experience. I won't blame any player; they can make mistakes because I know the pressure they're under right now.

Our first-half tactic was to try to play from deeper positions, be more attacking, and give some players freedom, which they did well. But after conceding a goal, in the second half, we started resorting only to long balls. That wasn't our tactical plan; our original plan was to control possession and build attacks. But sometimes, under pressure, when you lack experience, you get scared and take the easy route.

I hope these matches will help the players learn to handle game situations more calmly. Because if you simply "try to do something," you might not win; but if you remain stable throughout the match, you have a chance. In the first half we proved we can compete with any team, but the problem is we can't maintain that stability for 90 minutes.

Many believe you can't beat Portugal or Colombia. That's the common view. What do you think?

That's fine; many people believe we can't beat those teams. But we also need to understand that Uzbek football must continue to develop, and we need to keep investing in youth development and building football academies. That's the only way for us to consistently appear at the FIFA World Cup over the next 20-30 years.

We've achieved some good results before, and we'll continue to work hard this time.

We must continue investing in young players and keep building the system.

I know everyone is disappointed right now because we have no points and the performance hasn't been very good, but my players gave everything they had.

No one can blame them.

Переведено ИИ.

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