Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov on July 1 at a welcome ceremony at Tashkent airport urged the Uzbekistan national football team not to pay attention to criticism on social media after their first-ever World Cup appearance.

He emphasized that the team's debut in the prestigious quadrennial tournament was "not an ordinary competition" and the result of years of hard work, patience, and trust.

Aripov noted that thanks to President Shavkat Mirziyoyev's special attention to sports, football has been completely rid of corruption.

The PM stated that the team performed worthily against Portugal, Colombia, and DR Congo, teams ranked high in FIFA, and every moment of the matches brought excitement, hope, and pride to the people.

He also urged the players to forgive "couch experts" who seek false popularity through negative comments.

Recall that Uzbekistan's national team participated in the World Cup for the first time, losing to Colombia (1:3), Portugal (0:5), and DR Congo (1:3), failing to advance to the playoffs. Abbosbek Fayzullayev scored the team's first goal in World Cup history.

Source: www.gazeta.uz