The Uzbekistan national football team suffered a heavy 5-0 defeat against Portugal in a World Cup qualifying match. After the game, captain Eldor Shomurodov, striker Igor Sergeyev, and defender Rustam Ashurmatov shared their thoughts with a Gazeta correspondent.

Eldor Shomurodov apologized to fans for the crushing loss: '5-0 is certainly a very big score. But we gave our all on the field. When you play against a strong team like Portugal, even giving 100% may not be enough. You also need luck. Because the opponent has very strong players individually and in other aspects.' Shomurodov said the team is focused only on victory ahead of the match against Congo DR.

Igor Sergeyev acknowledged the painful defeat: 'Losing 5-0 is painful. But such games are necessary. We must learn from this defeat and move forward. Right now we are emotional, it's hard to say anything.' He stated that the team will play for a win against Congo and expressed belief that even Portugal could have been beaten.

Rustam Ashurmatov admitted that conceding five goals was a heavy blow for the defense: '5 goals is too many. As a defender, it's hard to digest. But we still have a third game. We must make every effort to forget this result.' He noted that defenders are responsible for the conceded goals and called the referee's decision to disallow Uzbekistan's goal controversial.

Head coach Cannavaro took responsibility for the defeat and emphasized that the team must continue to believe 'until mathematics sends us home.' Uzbekistan will play its final group stage match on June 28 against DR Congo.

Source: www.gazeta.uz