Uzbekistan national team head coach Fabio Cannavaro commented on the 5-0 defeat to Portugal in the second round of the World Cup group stage.

"Of course, your first World Cup cannot be easy. When the draw was announced and we saw Colombia and Portugal, we understood that a very difficult group awaited us," he said.

Despite the heavy loss, Cannavaro stressed that he is proud of his team: "After the Colombia game, I talked about how proud I am of my team. Today I am also proud of them. Yes, I saw they were scared and struggling, but they never gave up for a second. Even when they had the ball, they not only defended but also tried to create problems for the opponent. That is very important to me."

According to him, playing against a team with high-quality players in all lines is always difficult: "They certainly took the field with great motivation. But as I said, this World Cup is an experience for us."

Answering a question about the starting lineup (three changes compared to the Colombia match) and individual mistakes, Cannavaro emphasized that the coach is responsible for player selection: "Of course, the coach is responsible. I try to field those who are in the best form. But that's always the case. I don't have to prove anything. I take responsibility to help my players because I understand: this is their first World Cup."

The coach noted that this is Uzbekistan's first World Cup, so the team must go through these matches to gain experience and become stronger: "I told the players: they can make mistakes in their passes, make wrong decisions, play poorly — I don't care. I believe in them. I will always believe in them, because if I believe in them, they can grow, feel good, and not be afraid to play football."

He stated that he has always taken responsibility as both a player and a coach: "If we lost 5-0 today, I made the mistakes."

According to him, Azizbek Ganiev's disallowed goal in the first half seriously affected the team: "I think the disallowed goal significantly lowered our confidence. It's a pity because the team started playing like they did against Colombia. They showed more courage, tried to control the game, not for the full 90 minutes, but they started playing well. Then, when the balance was lost, you concede the third goal, and everything becomes much more difficult."

Speaking about Portugal, Cannavaro noted the opponent's high level in all areas and their motivation after a draw in the first round: "When you play against a team with great players in every line, it won't be easy for you. Portugal drew in the first game, and today they certainly had more motivation."

He also spoke about Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored two goals: "When you play against Cristiano Ronaldo, you know you can't give him a centimeter of space, because if you give him that centimeter, he scores two goals."

According to the Italian specialist, despite criticism for playing outside Europe, Ronaldo remains one of the strongest players in football history: "Many people think that playing in Asia like Cristiano is a waste of time. But then you come to the World Cup and show that at 41 you are still hungry for goals. This guy hasn't forgotten how to play football."

Cannavaro also explained why Uzbekistan did not want to completely sit back in defense even against Portugal: "If we play Portugal 100 times, we could lose 100 times. So I asked the players to be braver, to play football, not to be afraid. I think only with this mentality can the team grow — both as a team and individually."

The coach emphasized that he prefers the team to try to play rather than just defend with a low block: "If you play Portugal and stay in a low block, you lose 99% of the time. So I say: why don't we try to do more? I have never asked the team to retreat and close up. And I never will."

"We must believe until mathematics sends us home. Now we must forget these two games because I knew they would be very, very difficult," said Cannavaro.

Portugal head coach Roberto Martinez also commented on the match. According to him, the team's first game of the tournament was an important test, and against Uzbekistan, the Portuguese showed a more mature performance: "Sometimes a difficult game like our first one is very important for growth in a tournament. Today we saw a team that played with the same passion and dedication but showed more calm because it wasn't the first game. I am very happy with the result."

Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored two goals, said that the most important thing for him is not personal statistics but the team's performance: "I am very happy. But the most important thing for me is what we did and the confidence we showed. The team played very well and improved significantly. As they say, every cloud has a silver lining. Personally, records are always nice, but my main goal is to help the national team achieve its objectives."

Uzbekistan lost to Portugal 5-0. Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring in the 6th minute after a pass from Joao Cancelo, then Nuno Mendes scored a free kick in the 17th minute. Ronaldo scored his second goal in the 39th minute after a pass from Bruno Fernandes. In the 60th minute, Abduvohid Nematov scored an own goal from a corner, and Rafael Leao set the final score in the 87th minute.

After two matches, Uzbekistan has 0 points and a goal difference of 1-8. Portugal has 4 points, while Colombia and DR Congo, who are yet to play each other, have 3 and 1 point respectively. Uzbekistan is last in Group K.

Formally, the chance to advance from the group still exists, but only through the third-place route. To do so, Uzbekistan must beat DR Congo in the final round and hope for favorable results in other groups, as the 2026 World Cup playoffs include not only the top two teams from each group but also the eight best third-placed teams. Given the goal difference after losses to Colombia and Portugal, it is crucial for Uzbekistan not only to win but also to improve their goal difference if possible. Additionally, DR Congo must not beat Colombia in the second round.

Uzbekistan will play its final group stage match on June 28 at 4:30 AM against DR Congo.

Source: www.gazeta.uz