The U-20 Indonesian National Team’s Defensive Strategy Frustrated the Uzbekistan Coach
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Uzbekistan coach Ravshan Khaydarov admits that his team learned valuable lessons from the U-20 Indonesian National Team after his team was held to a goalless draw / Photo: AFC
FERGANA – Uzbekistan coach Ravshan Khaydarov admitted that his team learned a valuable lesson from the U-20 Indonesia National Team after his team was held to a goalless draw in the final match of Group A of the 2023 U-20 Asian Cup at the Istiqlol Stadium, Tuesday (7/3/2023) evening WIB. A draw against the U-20 Indonesian National Team made Uzbekistan emerge as the winner of Group A of the U-20 Asian Cup with seven points.
Uzbekistan will also face Australia who is the runner-up in Group B to fight for a place in the semifinals of the 2023 U-20 Asian Cup.
Ravshan Khaydarov admitted that the last match in Group A was an important match for Uzbekistan and the U-20 Indonesian National Team. He considered Garuda Nusantara to play more defensively so that his team had difficulty scoring goals.
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“The match was important for both teams. While we had a tactical approach, Indonesia chose a defensive strategy and that stopped our movement in the game,” Ravshan Khaydarov said as quoted from the AFC’s official website, Wednesday (8/3/2023).
Despite resting the main players, Ravshan Khaydarov explained that Uzbekistan is still aiming for victory. However, a draw against the U-20 Indonesian national team was enough to make his team advance to the quarter-finals.
“It’s true that we rested some of our regular players and gave game time to those who didn’t feature in the previous two matches. We adopted a 3-4-3 formation, with the aim of scoring goals and securing a win. However, despite Indonesia’s impressive defensive performance, a draw was enough for us to secure a place in the knockout stages.”
Ravshan Khaydarov acknowledged Australia would be a tough opponent, but Uzbekistan was ready to face them. He explained that Uzbekistan had learned valuable lessons from Garuda Nusantara, so that they should not make mistakes when dealing with Australia.
“Australia will be a tough opponent, but we will be ready to face them. We have to work with recovery and I don’t think we can make the same mistakes as we did against Indonesia,” he concluded.
(fly)
